Nine and a Half Days
by HappyAuriga
Summary: One tiny mistake in Potions, and Harry is in trouble again!
1. Day 1

**Day 1**

Thursday was Harry Potter´s least favourite day of the week. This was mainly due to the fact that Thursday afternoon´s schedule was easily the worst possible. It started with Divination after lunch – a fact that always spoiled his appetite – and didn´t improve, for Divination was followed by the only subject he hated more than the lessons in Sybill Trelawney´s heavily perfumed tower.

Potions.

To make matters even worse, it was double Potions on Thursday and it was double Potions with the Slytherins.

Harry entered the classroom with a slight feeling of doom. His best friends, Ron and Hermione, walked on his left and right. Ron, who had already suffered through Divination with him, looked as miserable as Harry felt. Hermione – still in a good mood after her Arithmancy lesson – tried to distract her two friends, though from a neutral point of view going over the Potions essay that was due this lesson was not a very good choice of topic.

The three Gryffindors dropped in their usual seats at the back of the classroom and unpacked their books, inkwells and parchment.

Harry had just set down his cauldron, when their teacher, Professor Snape, entered the classroom in a flourish of black robes. The potions master stalked to his desk and turned, making his robes billow around him dramatically. He sneered at the assembled students at large before he glared at several well-chosen victims sternly. Harry was, not surprisingly, among the chosen ones.

After Snape had stared his fill, he stepped behind his desk and collected the homework with a swish of his wand.

Harry looked miserable. He hadn´t slept well all week after some particularly nasty nightmares starring the Dark Lord. Anything else than a T would be a surprise for the short and poorly researched essay he had to hand in. Well, at least he had managed to hand in something, for facing Snape after failing to finish the assignment in time were certainly not funny. Not that the man was going to be delighted by the essay, but it was at least something.

"Today," Snape startled Harry out of his musings, "you will be preparing Amicitia. Who can tell me the properties of the Amicitia potion?"

Not surprisingly, Hermione´s hand was up in an instant.

The potions master looked around the classroom, ignoring the Gryffindor know-it-all thrice, but when no other student volunteered he nodded at the girl with a sigh.

"The Amicitia potion, or Amortentia Minor, is a friendship potion. It induces friendship in people, who share the same brew. Its use is not banned like the Amortentia potion´s, but it isn't used very often as the brewing requires blood from the persons supposed to become friends. People who are not friends rarely agree to brew it together," Hermione quoted the textbook. "The first to brew Amicitia was Wendelin the Weird, who is also known for her fondness of witch-burnings. Among the achievements of Wendelin the Weird are also..."

"That will do, thank you Miss Granger," Snape drawled. "You are right. Amicitia is a friendship potion. As we have to test whether your brew works, you will switch partners for today´s lesson. Testing won´t be very effective if you start with a friend."

Harry felt an inkling of dread. He knew who he was going to end up with without a doubt. Perhaps, if he put all his willpower to it, it wouldn´t happen. He squeezed his eyes shut and concentrated with every fiber of his being, but it was in vain.

"Potter, move your things to Malfoy´s table," the potions master ordered, his tone leaving no room for discussion.

Ron, who had just been teamed up with Pansy Parkinson, shrugged his shoulders apologetically as if the whole mess was his fault. Harry smiled at him weakly while he packed his things and moved to the front of the classroom, where Malfoy was waiting for him.

"I hope you´re going to pay attention in potions for once. I do not intend to fail this assignment due to your inaptitude," Malfoy sneered instead of a greeting.

Harry knew he´d get in trouble if he became involved in a quarrel with the blond in potions. Snape was the Head of Slytherin and he favoured his house all the time. If there was trouble with Harry and Malfoy it wasn´t going to be Malfoy serving detention, this was for sure. Keeping this in mind, Harry gritted his teeth and unpacked his things in silence.

"The instructions are on the blackboard," Snape sneered, revealing them with a wave of his wand, "I hope each team has at least one person who is able to read."

Harry read the instructions carefully. Snape had a tendency to hide crucial information somewhere near the end of a line where it was easily overlooked.

"Okay," said Malfoy, "this doesn´t sound too complicated. Go and fetch the ingredients. You are able to read the labels on the jars, aren´t you? I´ll start the brewing."

For the blink of an eye Harry thought about complaining about being used as a leg man, but then Malfoy was the best brewer in class save Hermione. So perhaps doing as the blond said wasn´t the worst idea and after his poor homework Harry could do with a good mark for this assignment. If Malfoy helped him to get it, he wasn´t going to complain.

When Harry returned to their table with a tray of herbs, some vials of liquid ingredients and a jar of beetle eyes, Malfoy had already the base of their potion bubbling merrily in his cauldron.

"What is this, Malfoy?" Harry asked with interest. Snape was going to make them write an essay about the brewing, Harry was sure of it. So he´d better pay attention and be well informed about how it was done.

"A base of frog spawn, bat milk and firewhisky," Malfoy said as if explaining the obvious. "Cut the shrivelfig, Potter. It´s needed next."

Harry did as he was told and added the fig to the brew when he was finished.

"Don´t you know anything, Potter?" Malfoy complained. "You´re supposed to spread the fig dices into the potion, not throw." He stirred the potion vigorously.

"Is this the right way of stirring?" Harry asked. "It looks rather violent."

"It is the right way if the idiot you have been teamed up with produced a lump of shrivelfig. Get me some moonstone powder. It will help repair the demage."

Harry glared at Malfoy angrily, but obeyed. "Here," he held the jar of moonstone powder out to the blond and the Slytherin added a pinch, and then another.

Harry didn´t add any ingredients again. He cut and chopped, he minced and sliced and offered the results of his work to Malfoy, who added them to their cauldron. Everything went well. There was a small silvery cloud of vapour on the surface of their potion as the instructions said there should be.

"If your potion has started to emanate the steam of good will – it is a silver, foglike substance – which it should about now, take a clean silver dagger and cut your finger. You need three drops of blood from each of you. Mix the blood with one tiny drop of phoenix tears and five drops of ink of squid in a glass vial and pour the mixture into the cauldron. Stir for two minutes clockwise and then put the fire out. We´ll test your potion as soon as it has cooled enough to embibe." Snape stalked from table to table, pointing out mistakes and giving advice how to correct them.

"Get the mixture ready save my blood," ordered Malfoy. "Make sure the vial and dagger are clean."

Harry obeyed again. If he managed to stay calm with Malfoy for another ten minutes, he´d be able to get an E or O for a potions assignment. It might actually save him from failing potions at the end of the year.

Malfoy never stopped stiring their brew, but he observed Harry closely. "Give it to me now and stir while I add my own blood."

Harry took the spoon from the blond and stired like he had seen Malfoy do it.

The blond cleaned the silver dagger Harry had used to cut his finger and cut his thumb. Harry was pleased to see that the Slytherin flinched in pain. The blond, however, wasn´t distracted for long. He added three drops of blood to the vial and then shook it gently to make the ingredients mix properly.

"Continue stiring," he ordered. He added the final ingredient dropwise. The potion´s colour changed from a silvery white to a light blue. The blue grew darker and darker until it was nearly violet. One look into Malfoy´s face told Harry that this was not how the potion was supposed to be. There was no time to worry, though, as the potion exploded with a loud bang and splattered the two boys from head to toe.

Malfoy rubbed his eyes with his palms, trying to get the hot concoction out of them. Harry licked his lips nervously. What was he to do? He had no idea which was the correct means to wash the potion away. Some potions reacted rather violently when they came in contact with water and there was no water in this brew, so maybe it wasn´t safe to use.

Licking his lips turned out to be a mistake. The potion tasted vile. Bitter and sour. But it smelled rather good, of lavender soap and honey. Strange.

The professor was by their side in an instant. He told Malfoy to look up to the ceiling and dripped a green liquid from his pocket into his eyes.

"Here we go, no harm done," he soothed his student. "As you got some potion in your eyes you might have friendly feelings for Mr. Potter for a little longer than intended, but apart from that... The potion," Snape went back into lecture mode, "has greater effect when it comes in touch with mucous membranes, such as the inner side of an eyelid."

He looked at Malfoy again. "You should have paid better attention, Mr. Malfoy. I´m disappointed you let Potter´s incompetence influence your brewing techniques." Suddenly he stopped in his ranting and stepped closer to the blond. He sniffed at his robes. Then he turned on the spot and hurried to the front of the classroom in a flourish of robes. He returned with a small silver spoon and took a bit of what was left in their cauldron.

The potions master sniffed the potion, then he took the spoon closer to a torch to see better. When he returned to their table he was practically running.

"Stupid children! The recipe says cherry leaves! You put in cherry roots!"

Both boys nodded.

"And moonstone?" Snape asked urgently.

"The shrivelfig was in a lump," Malfoy said defiantly.

Snape laughed. It was a cruel sound, normally reserved for Harry.

"Potter, were you hit in the eye or any other mucous tissue?" The potions master asked severely.

"No, Sir," Harry answered truthfully. "But I may have licked a drop from my lip unintentionally."

"Wonderful!" Snape giggled. This time there was no cruelty in it and Harry thought he had never heard a more frightening sound. "Hilarious. The headmaster will be exhilarated."

"Sir?" It was Hermione who dared address Snape when her classmates stared at the man in fearful disbelief. "Sir? What´s the matter?"

Snape snapped out of his laughing fit. "Tell me that you added the scarab eyes!" He shouted at Malfoy and Harry.

Malfoy nodded. The blond looked as if he was going to bolt any moment.

"Thanks Merlin for small mercies," sighed the potions master. "Stay away!" he advised Hermione, who was approaching Harry. "Don´t touch the potion!" He drew his wand and started muttering in rapid Latin. Little by little the portions of potion disappeared. First from the floor and table, from the chairs and books. Then from Malfoy and Harry´s robes, hair and faces and at last from their cauldron.

Harry groaned when Snape emptied their cauldron without taking a sample for marking.

"Well," Snape said matter-of-factly, "let´s see what you lot learned. What do you get when you replace cherry leaves by cherry roots in Amititia and add moonstone?"

Hermione was pale like a ghost. "Amortentia," she muttered.

"I´m glad at least one person pays attention," sneered the potions master. "And why did I ask about the scarab eyes?"

"The addition of scarab eyes makes the effects of any love potion temporary. The span of efficacy depends on the amount of scarab eyes added." Hermione was back to quoting the textbook.

Harry´s stomach dropped. A love potion? He didn´t feel any difference! Perhaps they had done it wrong? Hopefully they had done it wrong! Feeling a little less miserable, he looked up to meet Malfoy´s eyes. Malfoy´s wonderful, stormy grey eyes. Why hadn´t he ever noticed how expressive those eyes were?

Drawn to the blond like a moth to the light, Harry stepped closer.

Malfoy blinked and bridged the distance between them in an instant.

Harry thought that the blond´s lips were the sweetest thing he had ever tasted. Better than treacle, better than chocolate, better than anything. He raised his arms to embrace the blond, but was pulled away by the neck of his robes.

"I think not," snarled Snape.

Harry and the blond both panted. Harry found the disappointment showing in Malfoy´s eyes most endearing.

"Congratulations, gentlemen," continued the potions master mercylessly, "be prepared to be enamoured with each other for a while. How long depends on the amount of scarab eyes added." Snape sounded like Hermione when he said the last and he smirked at her cruelly. "I suggest you remove from this classroom and keep him away from for said while or he´s going to embarrass himself."

Harry felt Ron and Hermione grab his elbows and lead him out of the potions classroom. He craned his neck to keep Malfoy – Draco! – in sight for as long as possible. The blond tried to follow them, but he was held back by Crabbe and Goyle. How dare they! Draco was his and his alone!

Ron and Hermione took him back to Gryffindor tower. Hermione became absorbed in her potions text within minutes, while Ron tried to engage Harry in a game of chess.

"Watch out, mate," the redhead said, "or you´ll lose your queen."

Harry couldn´t care less. He had already lost a rook, several pawns and both bishops. What was playing chess good for, if he couldn´t play with Draco! Harry pictured the blond´s elegant hands on the chess pieces. Oh yes, playing chess with Draco sounded interesting.

"Harry!" Ron fanned his hand in front of his friend´s eyes.

"Oh, sorry, Ron," Harry muttered. He reached for a knight and moved it.

"Harry, you were check-mate five minutes ago!"

The chess pieces abused Harry for playing like a fool and shook their fists at him.

"Sorry, I was distracted," Harry muttered.

"And you have every right to be," said Ron. "I mean, if it was me, I´d try to AK myself! Enamoured with Malfoy! Urgh!" The redhead made a face.

"Don´t you talk about him disrespectfully!" Harry cried angrily. "You´re not worthy of speaking his name!"

"Am I not?" Ron cried equally angrily. "So your best friend is now second to the Slytherin head bully?"

"How dare you!" Harry slapped Ron in his face. "How dare you insult him!"

"Boys, calm down!" Hermione stepped between her friends just in time to avoid a brawl. "I suggest we go to the Great Hall for dinner now. We´re all going to feel more relaxed with a full stomach."

Harry had no objections. There was a chance they were going to run into Draco in the Great Hall. What an opportunity! He urged his friends on all the way downstairs, he ran ahead several times, but they always caught up. By the time they reached the Great Hall Harry suspected them of not approving of his feelings for Draco.

Draco was already at the Slytherin table, but he ignored the plate in front of him in favour of craning his neck to get a good view of the door. The moment Harry entered the hall, Draco was out of his seat and hurried to meet him. Harry approached the blond with equal speed.

They hugged when they met. Draco whispered "I missed you!" into Harry´s ear and the wizarding hero felt cherished like never before in his life. Things improved even, when Draco started to kiss Harry´s neck, but then they were seperated rather violently. Snape and McGonagall had come out of nowhere and each head of house grabbed their student and pulled them away from the other boy.

"I´m sorry, he escaped!" piped Hermione as Snape glared at her.

"We´re going to the headmaster´s office. Now." Professor McGonagall´s tone left no room for discussion. "Miss Granger, Mister Weasley, you may proceed to your dinner."

Harry tried to get closer to Draco all the way up to the headmaster´s office, but the two professors paid close attention and stayed between him and the blond. Draco managed to dodge Snape twice, but McGonagall wasn´t tricked easily and in the end it was all in vain.

"Sit." The headmaster looked at the small group from behind his desk with concern. Harry tried to get the chair beside Draco´s but the two professors coaxed them into the seats furthest apart. "Tea? Biscuit?" The old wizard pointed at the tea set on the desk. Professor McGonagall was the only one to accept the offer and the headmaster poured her a cup. The witch added some candy and stired gently. The clattering of the teaspoon in the cup sounded like a small bell.

"It has come to my attention," the headmaster said looking at Harry and Draco in turn, "that you discovered very new feelings for each other."

The two teenagers nodded eagerly. Harry thought that the pink flush on Draco´s cheeks made the blond even more attractive.

"I see," mused the headmaster and poured himself a cup, too. "Severus, this is worse than I anticipated from your report."

Snape didn´t answer at once, but wrestled Draco back to his seat. McGonagall dropped her cup when she moved to intercept Harry. The young Gryffindor wriggled and kicked to come free. At last he succeeded. He wasn´t a seeker for nothing, after all. Draco ducked under Snape´s arms and finally, finally, another sweet kiss was shared. A part of Harry´s mind asked why he hadn´t realised before how delicious in every sense of the word the Slytherin was.

The pleasure didn´t last long as the teachers seized them around their middle and pulled them apart. Harry and Draco clung to each other for dear life, but it was no use. Snape and McGonagall were stronger.

"," the headmaster said sternly, "I´m disappointed. I can understand that being muggle-raised doesn´t know about the proper procedures, but you being a pure-blood should know better than to jump your love like a common tyke. Tell me what the proper procedures are, Mr. Malfoy."

Harry was curious to hear what Draco had to say as he himself had no idea at all what the headmaster was talking about.

"Courtship," said Draco. "The proper way for a wizard of breeding to approach his love is courtship."

"I see you are informed," said Dumbledore and glared at the blond over the rims of his glasses. "Then why, prey tell, didn´t you act on what you learned."

"We´re at one with each other." Draco smiled at Harry brilliantly and the Gryffindor nodded vigorously.

"This is not a question of being at one with each other," said Dumbledore. "This is a question of proper behaviour and of respect for the person you love, . Would you want the public to think that is easy?"

"I will kill anybody who claims that Harry is anything but respectable." Draco´s cheeks were flushed with anger.

"At the moment you are the only one whose behaviour suggests so," the headmaster said softly. "By giving in to your desires you besmirch Harry´s dignity."

"Stop talking about me like I was a girl!" Harry grumbled.

"I have no intention to imply that you are a girl, Harry," said the old wizard. "I´m only dealing with first, as he knows about the traditions, which have to be followed. I was coming to you in only a moment."

Harry glared at Dumbledore angrily.

"Harry," the old man said gently, "in the wizarding world you are expected to court a person if you fall in love with them. You know, to show respect, to give little presents, to show your devotion in little gestures. If you don´t court, your relationship will not be taken serious."

"But Ron and Lavender..."

"Oh, Mr. Weasley and Miss Brown both know that this isn´t something serious. There´s no love involved. wouldn´t behave like that with Miss Granger, would he?" The headmaster´s eyes twinkled.

"I expect you two to court each other for at least two weeks," Dumbledore looked at the two boys over the rims of his halfmoon spectacles. "At least! Am I understood?"

"Yes, Sir," both boys whispered.

"Then you may go."

Draco opened the door and ushered Harry outside with a polite gesture. The Gryffindor beamed at him and the blond growled "Prepare to be courted, my Harry," as he followed him outside.

"Two weeks, Albus?" McGonagall sighed as soon as the students had left. "What are we going to do when the two weeks are over? Will you allow them to become engaged, or what?"

"With the courtship they won´t at least embarrass themselves more than necessary. Severus here assured me that, given the amount of scarab beetles in the recipe, the effect of the potion should wear off within a week."

Snape nodded. "That is," he added softly, "if they followed the recipe concerning the scarab eyes. They didn´t for the cherry leaves."

"Didn´t you analyze the potion?" cried McGonagall.

"And risk touching it? Or another student touching it? The stuff was all over the potions classroom!"

"We don´t blame you, Severus," Dumbledore said soothingly. "Not at all."

Meanwhile Harry and Draco were walking down to the Great Hall.

"Is this really necessary?" Harry broke the silence after two staircases.

"Of course! I´m a Malfoy," the blond informed him. "Malfoys always follow the traditions. For our future´s sake we have to. Though I will admit," he added with a mischieveous grin, "that you, my love, are sweet enough to let me forget traditions. Come, lets hurry or I´ll forget my good intentions."

He caught Harry´s hand in his and pressed Harry´s fingers to his lips for the briefest moment before dropping it and running downstairs at top speed.

The Gryffindor blushed and followed the blond to the Great Hall.

Draco waited for him by the doors. He proceeded to the Gryffindor table as soon as Harry had caught up and walked up to where Ron and Hermione sat.

"Make room for Harry, Longbottom," the blond Slytherin spat at the clumsy boy who sat beside Ron. Neville scrambled away in a hurry.

Draco used the sleeve of his robes to wipe the table. "Sit here, dear," he said, his eyes shining with affection. Harry sat obediently. The blond pulled an empty plate towards the Gryffindor and started piling bits of meat and vegetables on it. "Here, try a bit of everything." Draco said softly.

Harry inhaled deeply as the blond bent over him. Draco smelled so good! Of lavender soap and honey! Mmmmh! The blond was finished with his task of setting food on Harry´s plate too quickly and he withdrew. A gentle touch to Harry´s hair and then Draco was gone.

"Merlin, I´m going to be sick!" growled Ron. "You let him touch you!"

"Is it inappropriate in a courtship?" Harry asked with concern. He had no intention of doing this wrong as it seemed to be so important to Draco.

"A courtship?" shrieked Ron. Hermione slapped his arm. Around them several students turned to get a better look.

"A courtship?" the redhead repeated softer. "Are you crazy, mate?"

"Dumbledore says it´s the proper way to proceed in our relationship," Harry said defiantly.

"What relationship?" Ron whispered in a high-pitched voice. "We´re talking about Draco bloody Malfoy!"

Ron´s howl of pain as Harry´s fist made contact with his nose caused the whole student body to stop in whatever they were doing and stare at them. "You will not speak ill of Draco in my presence!" Harry spat at his friend who was trying to scramble to his feet. Hermione hurried to help Ron, all the while glaring at Harry angrily.

The Gryffindor hero´s words reverberated in the Hall. People stared at him in surprise, some in amusement. One after the other, they turned away to resume their meal, but Harry had only eyes for Draco.

The blond smiled at him lovingly and when he thought that most of the students were no longer observing them, he blew a kiss at his courted. Harry acted to catch it and put it in his pocket for later. He was startled out of his thoughts by a groan beside him. Ron had finally managed to stand up. His nose was bleeding and he looked beyond livid.

Harry decided that becoming engaged in a brawl wasn´t going to impress Draco and left the Hall for Gryffindor Tower.


	2. Days 2 and 3

**Day 2**

Harry woke slowly as the morning sun tickled his nose. He stretched luxuriously. He hadn´t slept so well ever. For a brief moment he wondered what had made the difference. He smiled when he remembered. He loved, and he was loved back. It made all the difference in the world.

Harry got up quickly. The other boys in the dormitory were still asleep, so Harry made good use of having the bathroom for himself for once. He took a long shower using cherry blossom shower gel (he remembered how good Draco smelled and he wanted to smell as good for the blond) and spent nearly a quarter hour trying to tame his hair.

After using his best ironing charms – he had to remember to look up better ones in the library – on his school uniform, Harry got dressed. By the time he had finished lacing his (freshly polished) shoes, Ron woke.

"Harry?" the redhead asked. "How do you feel today?"

Harry scowled at his best friend. "Fine, as long as you don´t insult Draco."

"Listen, Harry," said Ron, "I´m sorry. I shouldn´t have said that. Professor McGonagall explained to me how important this is for you and how you can´t help your feelings. I´m your best friend and I really should have supported you from the very beginning. I was a git, but I will stand by your side from now on if you let me."

Harry grinned. It was good to know Ron was supportive. "I wouldn´t even want to think about doing this without you."

Ron smiled. "So, we´re best friends again? You forgive me?"

"You will help me?" Harry asked in return. "You know so much more about wizarding traditions than I do. I want to do this right."

"Of course I´ll help you," promised Ron. "As long as you don´t expect me to share your enthusiasm for Malfoy."

Harry slapped Ron playfully. "I wouldn´t want that. Go and find your own sweety."

The other boy made a face. "He´s all yours, Harry. Now, let me get ready and we can go downstairs for breakfast."

"Hurry, I don´t want to make Draco wait."

"But it´s expected of you! How can he show that he´s serious, when you serve him everything on a platter? Courting a person is also a bit about suffering for them. Let him wait for a little while. The sweeter he´ll find seeing you when you make your appearance."

Harry nodded in understanding, nevertheless he paced the room impatiently while he waited for Ron to shower and dress.

-x-

Draco was already at his seat at the Slytherin table when Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the Great Hall. His friends, Crabbe and Goyle, were talking to him, but the blond didn´t listen. He was looking at the doors of the hall expectantly and when Harry entered a bright smile lit up the blond´s face.

The Slytherin raised his wand and pointed it at Harry.

Ron and Hermione looked ready to jump in front of their friend, but Harry stopped them with gentle touches to their arms. Draco wasn´t going to curse him, Harry knew that. He returned the other boy´s smile equally brightly and waited for Draco´s spell.

The blond winked at him conspiratorially before he muttered his spell. Soft pink rose petals rained down from the enchanted ceiling and formed a path to Harry´s favourite seat. Harry´s heart missed a beat when he followed the trace of roses and found a delicate silver vase with a single red rose beside his plate.

He blew Draco a kiss, his cheeks hot with embarrassment. Draco caught the kiss and pressed it to his heart, blushing, too. Around Harry girls oohed and aahed. The Gryffindor hero couldn´t begrudge them their jealousy. Who´d have thought that Draco was such a romantic? And to be the target of the blond´s romantic advances was pure bliss.

Harry bent forward to smell at the rose before he reached for scrambled eggs and ham, his favourite breakfast.

When he looked up he realized Ron was staring at him.

"What?" he asked nervously. "Do I have parsley stuck between my teeth, or what?" He just hoped it was something else after all the effort he had put into brushing his teeth this morning.

Ron was about to say something, but Hermione was faster. "That was very kind of Malfoy, to give you a rose." Ron´s expression clearly stated that he had other adjectives than kind in mind, but Harry decided to leave him be. Anger wouldn´t make his face prettier and he wanted to look good. He knew he´d never be anything but the ugly duckling next to Draco, but that didn´t mean he couldn´t try to look nice for his beloved.

"Yes, it was, wasn´t it?" Harry beamed at Hermione instead. "He really is a sweety."

Draco waited for them when they left the Great Hall. "Mmh, is this cherry blossom," Draco leaned in to smell Harry´s hair. "Delicious, love."

Harry blushed. "You smell good, too, Draco." Lavender and honey. So sweet.

"Harry, I don´t think it´s appropriate to sniff each other in the Entrance Hall," Hermione said softly.

"Yes. Thanks, Granger," the Slytherin retreated a step, but kept looking at Harry longingly.

"Thank you for the rose, Draco," Harry said awkwardly. "That was a wonderful gesture." He rose the hand carrying his rose.

"I was hoping you´d like it."

"I like it a lot. It´s beautiful."

"It´s ugly next to you." Draco took Harry´s hand in his and pressed a kiss to his fingers before the Gryffindor could object. "I´ll see you at lunch."

-x-

Never before had Harry been so glad that his next lesson was History of Magic. While Professor Binns droned on and on about centaurs in ancient Greece, Harry drew tiny hearts all over his notes. From hearts he moved on to writing his love´s name in delicately decorated capital letters all over his notes from last lesson. The only setback was that History of Magic wasn´t a joint Gryffindor and Slytherin class.

The afternoon, Harry told himself, was going to be better. He was going to see Draco in Care of Magical Creatures. But before that, there was lunch.

The second class before lunch was Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall kept looking at Harry with a mixture of pity and anger. After a lecture on how to turn an inanimate object into an animal (or rather a good enough copy; the transfigured animals weren´t really alive, but when the spells were used correctly, they moved) the professor showed them a nut and pointed her wand at it. A white ferret popped into existance where the nut had been and started to weasel around the professors desk.

The assembled Gryffindors burst out laughing.

Harry had to fight back tears. "Stop it!" he screamed at his Head of House. "I can understand their petty jealousy for they are nothing compared to his beauty and cleverness, but you are a teacher! Shame on you, Minerva McGonagall!"

The professor tightened her lips and retransformed the ferret into a nut.

", an ermine is a very noble and magical creature. Your classmates were merely laughing about the animal´s hectic movements. You, on the other hand, seem to have shameful associations."

Harry gasped. First the professor made fun of Draco and than she blamed him, of all people!

"I´m not going to listen to this one minute longer!" Harry threw his textbook into his bag and stomped out of the room, ignoring the professor´s call to return to his seat.

He wandered through the castle for half an hour, unsure of where to go. It would be nice to wait for Draco in front of the charms classroom, but somehow Harry knew that it wouldn´t be appropriate in a courtship.

At last he decided to wait in the Entrance Hall. If he was lucky, Draco would come downstairs early and maybe they could nick a private moment without being seen. Harry hid behind the statue of Godric Gryffindor and waited.

Draco came hurrying down the marble staircase first. His robes were billowing behind him when he all but ran downstairs.

"Psssst!" Harry hissed softly.

The blond stopped and looked around.

"I´m here!" Harry put his arm around Gryffindor´s waist and waved.

"Love?" Draco hurried to the statue and slid into the small space behind it. "You must have read my mind!" he whispered urgently and before Harry knew soft lips touched his.

It was pure bliss. Draco´s kiss was nothing like Cho´s. It was soft and firm at the same time and the other boy tasted of chocolate.

Harry moaned and slid his arms around the blond. "Mmh, is this chocolate? I never saw you eat chocolate for breakfast." He burried his face in Draco´s robes and inhaled that sweet smell of lavender and honey.

Draco chuckled. "I can´t eat bacon and onions when I plan to steal a kiss from you later, can I?" He kissed Harry´s hair.

"I´m sorry," Harry felt close to tears. "I had bacon for breakfast. I´m an idiot."

The Slytherin stroked Harry´s back and tsked. "You taste sweet to me, love. Sweeter than anything I tasted before."

Harry smiled shyly and raised his lips for another kiss, but they were interrupted by a cold voice.

"Draco Iapetus Malfoy! Stop that behaviour immediately and come here!"

Harry jumped back from Draco as if burned. The blond slid a calming hand down his arm and gently pulled him out of their hiding place.

In front of the statue stood Lucius Malfoy, practically radiating anger.

"I got a letter from the headmaster that there has been a potions accident. I rush here fearing the worst for my heir and what I find is him snogging the Potter boy in a dark hiding place! Explain yourself, Draco!"

"We´re courting," said Draco, stepping in front of Harry protectively. "We were just sharing a private moment."

"Courting?" shrieked the taller blond, his voice an octave higher than before. "Have you lost your mind? How can the headmaster allow this to happen?"

"He suggested it himself," Harry piped defiantly.

"He suggested?" ´s voice went up another octave.

"Lucius!" Professor Snape joined their small group. "I suggest we take this conversation to a less public place. My office, perhaps." He indicated the corridor leading down to the dungeons and a hint of a smile appeared on his stern face, but only for a moment.

"Yes, less public sounds good," panted Lucius Malfoy and followed the potions master.

Draco and Harry followed the two men. The blond squeezed Harry´s hand reassuringly.

-x-

Professor Snape prepared tea while they waited for the hastily called headmaster. Again, Draco and Harry had been forbidden to sit side by side. Instead Draco´s father occupied the middle chair of three.

The wizard´s face gave away the inner turmoil he was in. A muscle in his cheek twitched from time to time and his eyes never stayed quiet, they darted around the room nervously.

There was a knock at the door and the headmaster entered without waiting to be asked inside.

"Lucius, I take it you got my letter," he greeted the blond wizard.

"I was notified a potions accident had occured and when I come here I catch my son and heir trying to suck Potter´s tongue out of his face and hear that you suggested they court."

Harry shuddered. Tongue? Somehow the suggestion of Draco sucking his tongue sounded interesting, not in the least disgusting.

"It was the most sensible way to deal with the situation at hand, Lucius," the headmaster pointed out jovially.

"Situation? What situation?" Mr. Malfoy glared at the headmaster.

"There was a potions accident," said the potions master. He handed out cups of tea. "Draco and were supposed to brew Amicitia. Only they mixed up some ingredients and added powdered moonstone."

Harry wondered whether this account would make any wiser. By the speed the blond man paled it seemed that yes.

"Amortentia? Tell me that my son didn´t brew Amortentia and you didn´t realise it!"

"Of course I realised it, only that was after their cauldron exploded and splattered them both," professor Snape spat back. "The good news is that they also added scarab eyes. Their infatuation won´t be permanent."

"Permanent?" echoed in that high-pitched voice he had used in the Entrance Hall.

"The results of the explosion were rather spectacular. We needed four students to pull them apart."

"Things got better when I suggested a courtship," the headmaster took over.

"How long?" asked , who seemed to have regained his composure.

"We aren´t sure. A week. Perhaps two. I assure you, Lucius, we did everything possible to protect Draco and Harry from themselves. Misters Crabbe, Goyle and Weasley and Miss Granger promised to keep an eye on them and prevent them from doing anything ... foolish."

"It seems you have taken the appropriate measures. The courtship was a reasonable thing to do. Draco, I expect you to go through this with the decorum I tought you. Remember that when I courted your mother I didn´t as much as touch her before our engagement was made public. And then I only kissed her fingertips until the wedding. This is how things are handled among upper class people. No more snogging in dark corners!" With the last words he glared at Harry.

"Yes, father," said Draco solemnly.

Harry´s heart missed a beat. Yes? Draco was no longer going to kiss him? But then he caught the blond´s eye behind the older Malfoy´s back and he knew that Draco had only said this to calm his father.

"I´m somewhat relieved to learn that this is the result of an accident. I don´t think I could have faced your mother if you had become engaged with this scrawny halfblood crab out of your free will," sneered Mr. Malfoy.

"Father, you will not insult my intended!" hissed Draco.

"I will insult whomever I wish to. As long as you eat the food of my table you will not talk back to me."

Harry wondered whether it would be helpful to point out that, technically, Draco was eating from the Slytherin table at the Great Hall most of the time.

"Father, I followed your suggestions willingly, but you have no say in who I give my heart. I ask you to accept my choice and support me. Harry will be your son in the not so distant future. You´d better get along with him well."

Lucius Malfoy was on his feet instantly. "My son? What next? The mother of my grandchildren?"

Harry had to suppress a whimper when the man stormed out of the office.

In the door, Lucius Malfoy turned. "You have an eye on them! And mercy on you if this makes its way into the papers, Dumbledore!" He pointed his snake-headed walking stick at the headmaster threateningly.

-x-

The headmaster himself escorted Harry to the Gryffindor table to get a bite for lunch before it was over, while professor Snape went with Draco. Dumbledore asked Ron and Hermione to keep a closer eye on Harry and by the way Snape spoke to Crabbe and Goyle urgently a similar conversation was going on at the Slytherin table.

After a quick lunch Harry went down to Hagrid´s hut, closely watched by Ron and Hermione, for Care of Magical Creatures. He had been looking forward to this class all day. It was a combined Gryffindor and Slytherin one and Draco was going to be there.

Unfortunately the blond was equally closely guarded by Crabbe and Goyle, but neither of their friends could prevent them from looking into each other´s eyes all lesson long. Harry thought he might drown in the grey of Draco´s eyes.

Hagrid informed them that they were going to study Cleasles, creatures which looked like overgrown rats on first sight.

"Cleasles are very useful," said the half-giant. "They will protect their master at all cost. They look harmless and aren´t very big, but don´t be mistaken. They´re fierce fighters and their teeth are very sharp. They are also great at finding magical items. Some people will tell you though that the best about them are their entertaining qualities. Great tap dancers, cleasles."

The students giggled.

"Our cleasles here are young, they won´t be able to hurt anybody yet and they aren´t bound to a master at this age. Never touch an adult cleasle without the express permission of its master," added Hagrid. "Well, what are you waiting for? Team up in pairs and catch a cleasle. The best way is to engage them in a tap dance and then grab them. When you have one, get some food from over there," he pointed at a huge box of grapes, "and feed them. As a homework I want an essay on this species and a decent drawing of a cleasle with special emphasize on its weapons. Teeth, claws and tail."

Harry and Draco were both up as if chased by the devil. They fled their friends and met a small distance from the class amidst a group of cleasles.

"Which one?" whispered Draco and Harry looked at the small creatures.

"This one!" Harry pointed at a slim cleasle with light brown fur. The tips of its ears were reddish and the tail was a bit bushier than the other cleasles.

"Grab him when he joins me," ordered Draco and started to tap dance.

Harry couldn´t but stare. The blond boy moved so elegantly! Again, he had to wonder why Draco had cast an eye on him, Harry Flat-foot Potter. Ah yes, the potions accident. That, Harry realised, had been the most lucky moment in his life.

"Harry," panted Draco, "please believe me when I say I love you looking at me, but this is quite exhausting. Can you please catch that beast?"

Harry looked down at the cleasle, which was following Draco´s lead enthusiastically and tap dancing for all it was worth. Quickly he stooped and grabbed the animal. It´s fur was perfectly soft. Harry stroked it, while Draco rushed to the grape box to get some food for the small creature.

The cleasle started to purr after some gentle strokes.

Draco settled down by Harry´s side, close enough for their thighs to touch. He picked a grape and held it out to their cleasle. It was accepted with a twittering sound.

They watched the cleasle eat for a little while. Then Draco picked another berry, but instead of giving it to their model organism, he held it out for Harry. The Gryffindor had to lean a bit closer to take it. Draco made a sniffing sound and purred contently. "Did I mention that you smell good?"

Harry smiled at the other boy, chewing his grape happily.

"I want to lick that juice from your chin," whispered Draco.

Harry looked whether they were watched. All their classmates were occupied with their own assignments. Boldly Harry took a grape and held it out for Draco between his teeth. The blond licked his lips and moved closer to get his price.

"Oh no!" Hagrid grabbed the two boys by their necks. Both squealed and their cleasle fled in panic. "Back to your houses! Both of you! Hermione you are in charge. When the time´s up just release the cleasles onto the lawn. I´ll take care of them later."

The half-giant pulled the two boys back to the castle by their necks. Harry tried desperately to at least catch a glimpse of Draco, but Hagrid was too big. To make matters worse, professor Snape was waiting for them at the entrance.

"I´ll take Malfoy from here, Hagrid."

Harry was forced upstairs. Professor McGonagall waited for him by the portrait of the fat lady.

"Eluise," she said with an angry glance at her student, " isn´t allowed to leave the tower before tomorrow morning. Potter, you will have dinner at the Common Room and I want your word that you will behave in the future. Don´t make me restrict you to Gryffindor Tower until the potion has worn off."

**Day 3**

Harry woke early the next day. How could he sleep after his Head of House´s threat to lock him away? His heart ached at the thought of not being able to see Draco at least from afar. No, he was not going to risk losing the blond. He was going to behave like a true pureblood wizard being courted. Then nobody could object to his and Draco´s relationship and they couldn´t lock him away.

He decided to ask Hermione or – in case there was something the girl didn´t know – look things up in the library. It was time that he invested some time in this courtship. He owed that to Draco.

After an rather long stay at the bathroom – Harry couldn´t decide whether to use that cherry blossom shower gel again or rather go for a new fragrance – the young Gryffindor dressed. He left the tower in a cloud of cherry blossom even before the other boys were up. The fat lady reminded him to behave.

"I wouldn´t like to deny you passage, but I´m bound to obey the Head of Gryffindor," she said sadly.

Harry promised to be good and rushed downstairs to the library.

Madam Pince looked up from the card index box she was working on. "No snogging in the library," she said sternly.

Harry blushed hard. Dumbledore must have informed all staff of his and Draco´s relationship. "Where do I find a book on courting rituals?" he asked through gritted teeth.

The librarian pointed him at a shelf in the back of the library.

There was a whole stack of books on courting. Harry chose the thinnest and started leafing through it.

He nearly missed breakfast, but luckily Madam Pince sent him off in time.

This day there was no rose petal shower, but Draco blew him a kiss from the Slytherin table and when Harry shovelled scrambled egg onto his plate, it arranged itself in a heart shape. The meal was nearly over when Draco got up from his seat and brushed off Crabbe and Goyle´s hands angrily. He stalked over to the Gryffindor table.

"Harry Potter," he said in a carrying voice for all the students and teachers to hear, "I formally ask your company for today´s Hogsmeade outing. If you´ll kindly accept my humble request, I will await you at the gates at nine o´clock sharp."

Harry was glad he had read up on wizarding traditions. He got up from his seat and conjured a single red rose and kissed the bud.

"Draco Malfoy," he said in an equally carrying voice, "I formally grant your request. I will be at the gates at nine o´clock sharp. Take this token of my promise." He handed Draco the rose.

The blond took the flower and inhaled its smell.

"I can hardly wait," he whispered before he left the Great Hall in a flourish of robes worthy of professor Snape.

-x-

"What!" Harry shouted at Ron and Hermione. "We´re courting! He´s supposed to take me on dates!"

Ron glared back at him equally angry, but Hermione tried to soothe his mood. "Harry, it´s not so much that we think you shouldn´t go on a date. We just, well, we just think you shouldn´t go to Hogsmeade. Why don´t you take a romantic walk around the lake or something."

"Oh yes, a walk through the brushwood is good enough for Harry Potter. He doesn´t deserve fancy restaurants or cafés. I thought you were my friends!" Harry was agitated. Was it asked too much for his friends to show a bit of support.

"The brushwood is much more private, mate," Ron pointed out.

"Private?" shrieked Harry. "What do you take me for? I won´t make that this courtship a farce! I read things up. I had to go to the bloody library because my supposed pureblood friend didn´t tell me what was expected of me!" He held up the book he had borrowed from the library. ´Anticipation and Longing: A guide through wizarding courtship to happiness´ by Bathilda Bagshot.

Hermione blushed at the sight of the cover, a wizard kneeling in front of a witch, offering her a velvet box with a ring. She glanced at Ron.

"You are not going to marry Draco Malfoy!" shouted Ron. "You don´t need to know about courting!"

Harry stumbled backwards until his calves hit an armchair. He dropped into the soft cushions. "Do you think Draco isn´t serious? That he´s toying around with me? I´m not that kind of boy!"

"There, mate! You are a boy! You can´t marry Malfoy!"

"Well, techically, he can," said Hermione and Harry felt new hope. "The statutes for marriage and bonding, established in 1354, clearly state that marriage can be sought by two persons. There is no mention of them being a witch and a wizard. It has been done before, you know."

"Thanks, Hermione!" beamed Harry. "I have to tell Draco about that. Or do you think he knows?"

-x-

Harry left the castle one minute to nine in his best robes. Ron and Hermione were following him at a safe distance. He had forbidden them to go with him, as he had no intention whatsoever to take his friends to his date with Draco.

The blond waited already for him. Crabbe and Goyle stood a little to the side. Seemingly Draco had had the same problems with his friends as Harry.

"Love," Draco beamed at Harry. He wore the rose Harry had given him on his lapel. "I couldn´t think of anything else all morning."

Harry offered his hand to Draco to kiss. The blond looked at him with satisfaction. "You did your homework," he kissed Harry´s fingertips. Then he offered his arm to Harry and they left the school grounds to walk down to Hogsmeade.

The village seemed all new to Harry, like he was seeing it for the first time. Everything was so different, so much more exciting, with Draco by his side.

Draco took him to the post office first. The blond explained the different kinds of owls to Harry and the Gryffindor listened, breathless.

"How come you know so much about owls? I always thought you weren´t very interested in magical creatures."

Draco smiled. "Don´t misunderstand me, but your friend Hagrid really isn´t doing us much of a favour in his choice of creatures. I´m very interested in magical creatures. Useful magical creatures. Not the monsters he uses to show us. Post owls are extremely useful."

Harry swallowed hard. Draco had a point. The creatures Hagrid brought to class were often more interesting than useful. "So, what is this one?" he pointed at a small reddish brown bird.

"That´s an Eurasian pygmy-owl. They´re the smallest owls in Europe. People like them for short distance messages. Father has one to communicate with mother when he´s in the green houses of the manor. They´re cute, aren´t they?"

Harry had never taken Lucius Malfoy for a person to like gardening, but then he had realised what a wonderful person Draco was only recently.

"We´ll never need one," the blond continued. "I have no plans to let you out of my sight ever." He kissed Harry´s fingers again.

-x-

They walked for a while, enjoying the shop windows together. Draco insisted on buying Harry some chocolate at Honeyduke´s. ("Sweets for my sweet!") They shared the treat on their way to Madam Puddifoot´s. Harry licked his lips when he saw a bit of chocolate on Draco´s upper lip. He could easily think of a delicious way to clean the blond´s mouth.

"What?" smirked Draco when he realised Harry was staring at him. "Is there dirt in my face?"

Harry groaned. "Worse. You have chocolate on your lips."

"Naughty thoughts, my Harry?" the blond whispered into the Gryffindor´s ear. He pulled Harry into the next doorway.

Harry gasped in surprise. "Is this appropriate?"

Draco´s eyes twinkled mischiefeously. "It´s what we both want. And there´s nobody to see us."

Harry lost no time at all. He fell on Draco´s neck and cleaned the other boy´s lips thoroughly. The blond wrapped his arms around Harry´s waist and pulled him closer, kissing back with equal enthusiasm.

After some sweet – and too short – minutes Draco disentangled himself. "We have to stop or I´ll forget all good intentions. Let´s have a cup of tea, love."

They continued to the tea parlour and Draco payed the matron some galleons extra for a private little table, which was shielded from the view of the other guests by some big pot plants.

Madam Puddifoot herself served them a pot of tea and a large piece of chocolate cake.

"Let me do that, sweetheart," whispered Draco and poured tea for them both. "Milk?"

"No, thank you," Harry grinned like a fool. He could hardly believe it! He was sitting at this very romantic place with his love and they were having tea!

If Harry thought things couldn´t get better he was mistaken. There was only one fork for the cake. Draco cut off a small piece and held it out for Harry to peck it from the fork. Harry hummed. The cake was delicious, as was being fed by his beloved. Draco smiled and ate a tiny bit of cake himself. He made a purring sound and licked the chocolate off the fork.

Harry thought he was going to faint. Watching Draco clean the fork with that pink tongue of his was the most exciting thing he had done, ever. This was even better than quidditch!

They ate all the cake, Draco feeding Harry and alternately having pieces of cake himself.

Harry was a bit disappointed when Draco got up from his seat early.

"Do we have to go back yet?" he asked. "We have nearly an hour to walk back to the castle. They won´t leave us alone at the castle."

"I have no intention to go back," laughed Draco, his eyes shining. "I thought we´d go to Gladrags and get ourselves a nice souvenir."

"Gladrags?" gasped Harry. He had never been to that clothes shop. He had never bought any clothes but his school robes at Madam Malkin´s.

"Of course," beamed the blond. He seized Harry´s hand and pulled him out of the tea parlour and down the street to the shop.

-x-

"Mister Malfoy! What a pleasure!" the shop assistant, a wizard of maybe twenty-five years, bowed. "How can I be of assistance?"

"Shirts, Appleby, we´d like to buy shirts," Draco said arrogantly. "Silk, I think. And we need a colour that fits us both."

"Now that´s difficult," mused Appleby. He measured Harry critically. "You look best in grey or powdery blue, but I don´t think it will fit your companion very well."

"What do you suggest for him?" Draco asked sternly.

The shop assistant walked around Harry twice. "Wine-red or a nice green. It would go well with his eyes." The young man gasped. "Mister Potter! I´m terribly sorry! I didn´t recognize you at once! It´s an honour to have the chosen one in our humble shop!"

Draco stepped between the older wizard and Harry. "He´s MY chosen one," he hissed angrily. "So, what about those shirts?"

"I suggest green. It´s not your best colour, but you´ll look better in green than Mister Potter in light blue." The shop assistant clicked his fingers and two elves in dark blue silk loincloths brought an assortment of green silk shirts.

Appleby led the way to a changing room. First Harry thought it was awkward to share the room, but only until Draco started to open the buttons of his shirt with a predatory expression. Harry swallowed hard and followed the blond´s lead eagerly.

They both stared their fill while they changed into the first pair of green shirts and Harry thought it was a pity they couldn´t touch due to Appleby´s presence. They would have liked to try on every single shirt in the shop, but they had to get back to the castle in time.

"Those are acceptable," drawled Draco. "We´ll keep them on."

Harry tried to talk Draco into letting him pay for the shirts on their way to the counter, but the blond would´t have it. "We´re courting, love," he said insistantly. "I´m supposed to give you presents."

"How come you´re expected to buy me gifts, but I´m not?" pouted Harry. "I´m not a girl!"

"But you´re younger than me, so I´m supposed to take the lead in this courtship. And I know you´re not a girl."

They left Gladrags hand in hand. Their little errand had taken longer than they´d thought it would and they had to hurry back to Hogwarts if they wanted to reach the castle before Filch closed the gates.

"So it is true!" said a uncomfortably familiar voice.

Harry wanted to let go of Draco´s hand, mindful of Lucius Malfoy´s threats, but the blond squeezed his fingers reassuringly.

"Miss Skeeter," he drawled arrogantly. "What can we do for you?"

"I, myself and me would like to know your reaction to the rumours that Mister Potter here associates with you for your money only."

"That´s a lie!" cried Harry.

Draco turned and touched Harry´s lips with the tip of his index finger gently. "Hush, love, don´t let the evil witch upset you." He turned to the reporter. "You will be thrilled to hear that the rumours aren´t true at all. Mister Potter fell for my looks." He slid a slim hand through his blond hair. "And I ask you, who wouldn´t? You will excuse us now. We´re in a hurry."

He pulled at Harry´s hand gently and they hurried off towards the castle.

"I´m sorry Draco!" panted Harry. "Your father will have our hides."

"Father may be angry, but he never punishes me. He´ll be angry with Dumbledore for letting us go to the village." He giggled.

By the time they reached the gates (just in time to slip past Filch) Harry´s mood had improved. They parted only when they reached the Great Hall.

Ron made a face when he saw Harry and Draco enter the hall in matching shirts. "Don´t you think you´re laying it on a bit thick?"

"Where were you?" asked Hermione. "We thought we could meet you for a butterbeer or something."

Harry told them about Honeyduke´s, the tea parlour and the clothes shop (he left the shared changing room out).

"Draco waited on me hand and foot all day," he said dreamily. "I really have to do something for him in return. Any ideas?"

"I do have some ideas," admitted Ron, "but I guess you won´t like them." He glared over to the Slytherin table where Draco was talking to Crabbe and Goyle with a dreamy expression rivaling Harry´s.

"If you don´t support me, then say nothing at all," snapped Harry. He´d never taken Ron for stubborn. Why couldn´t the redhead see that Draco was the love of his life?

"I do support you," Ron reassured him though. "It´s only that I´m more interested in girls and Malfoy hardly qualifies as a girl."

"No, he definitely doesn´t," Harry sighed, remembering Draco shirtless back at Gladrags.


	3. Days 4 and 5

**Day 4**

Harry didn´t sleep well that night. How could he, when every time he closed his eyes he saw Draco reaching for the topmost button of his shirt with a smile that was simply Draco. Harry thought he was going to pass out from the mere memory of those elegant fingers.

In the morning he had to borrow moisturising cream from Hermione. The lack of sleep had left its traces in his face, especially around the eyes. Harry dipped a finger into the cream jar and applied a thick layer around his eyes.

"What are you doing, mate? Putting on raggery?" snickered Ron.

"Just for your information," snapped Harry, "I´m applying an emergency treatment on the wrinkles around my eyes. You could do with some yourself."

Ron elbowed him aside and scrutinized his face in the mirror. "You´re right!" he cried. "There´s a wrinkle!" He pulled at his facial skin here and there, and turned in front of the mirror.

Hermione laughed. "There´s no wrinkle that´s not supposed to be there. Stop it, Ronald Weasley." She watched Harry trying to spell his robes smooth in amusement. "Really, Harry. I don´t think that´s necessary."

"Of course it is!" Harry snapped back. Couldn´t they see? "I´m seeing the most gorgeous boy of the whole school! I want to look good!" He had to accept that he couldn´t improve his robes any further, therefore he stepped back in front of the mirror and massaged the remaining cream into his cheeks gently. "I ask myself how people are doing it! Being in love and look well rested at the same time."

Ron looked at Harry suspiciously. "What happened? Until yesterday you slept like a baby despite being in love. You didn´t do anything unwise?"

"What do you take me for?" cried Harry. "I´m not a scarlet boy! Nothing will happen unless I´m wearing his ring!" Oh God! Wearing Draco´s ring! Why had he put this image into his tortured brain?

Harry was glad to follow his friends downstairs to the Great Hall. He needed something to distract him for now Draco was reaching into his shirt after opening the topmost button and producing a silver chain with a ring hanging from it when Harry closed his eyes!

-x-

The blond was already there when the three Gryffindors arrived. He sat on a wooden stool behind Harry´s seat, holding a harp. He started playing when Harry sat down. The Gryffindor had never thought that Draco would be the one to learn how to play a musical instrument, but the Slytherin´s fingers moved over the strings quickly and unerringly.

Harry felt a bit uncomfortable having breakfast while Draco got nothing to eat. He turned around and patted the bench beside him. Draco put his harp aside and sat beside Harry. The Gryffindor smiled and started to feed the blond porridge.

Harry enjoyed the sight of his boyfriend licking the spoon clean between spoonfuls, but they were interrupted by the arrival of a huge barn owl. It dropped a red envelope into Harry´s porridge bowl.

Draco and Harry looked at the smoking envelope in shock. Draco composed his features first. He opened the howler before it could explode.

An unknown female voice thundered for everybody to hear:

"DRACO MALFOY! HOW DARE YOU MISLEAD HARRY POTTER! THIS BOY IS TOO GORGEOUS FOR YOU, FILTHY RAG! KEEP YOUR DIRTY FINGERS AWAY FROM HIM OR I WILL HEX YOU AND YOUR OFFSPRING FOR THE NEXT TEN GENERATIONS TO COME!"

The letter combusted and ashes rained down on what was left of the porridge.

"Wow, that was heavy. Ten generations. I don´t want to be in your shoes, Malfoy," Ron broke the silence.

"What was that about?" asked Hermione.

The question was answered by Crabbe, who came running to Draco, waving a Daily Prophet.

"England´s most eligible bachelor claimed" screamed the headline.

"Is that me or you?" asked Harry. He leaned closer to Draco to look at the article.

"This reporter learned from a reliable source," the article said, "that Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, is no longer eligible. Draco Malfoy, heir to the Malfoy fortune, snatched ..."

"The headmaster wants to see you. Now, gentlemen," professor Snape said from behind Harry.

Harry and Draco followed the Head of Slytherin out of the Great Hall. By the time they reached the door, they were followed by a bunch of owls carrying red envelopes. Several of them were already smoking.

"DRACO MALFOY!..." another woman screamed.

"I think not!" muttered the professor and pointed his wand at the howler. It exploded with a poping sound.

"Can you teach me that spell?" asked Draco. "I guess I will need it."

"Certainly not," drawled Snape. "Your father wouldn´t thank me for that. Dealing with the howlers will teach you to behave properly."

"We didn´t do anything inappropriate in a courtship!" protested Harry.

"Didn´t you?" Snape raised an eyebrow and leaved through the newspaper, still walking upstairs in the process. By the time they had reached the spiral staircase behind the gargoyle guarding the headmaster´s office, he had found what he was looking for. He showed the paper to the two boys while they rode the moving stairs.

There was a photo of them kissing in a doorway. Photo-Draco was snogging Photo-Harry enthusiastically and when they finally pulled apart, Photo-Harry licked Photo-Draco´s lip.

"So?" smirked Snape when both boys paled.

They had reached the office door and the professor ushered them inside.

Harry thought about bolting, when he saw Lucius Malfoy pacing in front of Dumbledore´s fireplace.

"Father!" Draco stood rooted to the spot.

Lucius stopped pacing and turned to face his son. His blond hair flew like a veil. "Feeling guilty, Draco?" he sneered. "Come in and close that door, boy."

Draco obeyed.

"What do you have to say in your defence?" the older Malfoy continued his rant. "How do you justify the shame you inflicted on the name of Malfoy?"

Draco hung his head. Harry stepped closer to the other boy and squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Going by this article I´d say you blotched that potion on purpose in order to get hold of Potter. Though I have no idea why anybody would want that."

Draco glared at his father defiantly before he turned to Harry. "He doesn´t mean that, sweetheart." He pressed a quick kiss to the Gryffindor´s cheek.

Lucius slapped Draco impatiently. "Draco! Did you or did you not manipulate that potion on purpose?"

"Of course not!" cried Draco. "We made both mistakes, but I´m very glad about that! I found the love of my life thanks to those mistakes!" He wrapped an arm around Harry possessively. "And stop accusing me! I haven´t even read that bloody article! So basically I have no idea what you are talking about!"

The blond wizard stalked back to the headmaster´s desk, picked up the copy of the Prophet and shoved it into his son´s hand angrily. "Read what you have done!"

Draco pulled Harry to the headmaster´s sofa (two cups of tea appeared on the armrests when the boys settled down) and together they read Rita Skeeter´s latest work.

_**England´s most eligible bachelor claimed**_

_This reporter learned from a reliable source that Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, is no longer eligible. Draco Malfoy, heir to the Malfoy fortune, snatched said toffee away from the ladies and seems to be only too happy about being snatched._

_ and were seen on an outing in the village of Hogsmeade yesterday. They had only eyes for each other. After a romantic lunch at Madam Puddifoot´s (the matron wasn´t ready to give away what the young couple had) they went to Gladrags, the wizarding world´s most hip clothes store. _

_They never let go of each other´s hands all day. Can this be normal? Or is the victim of dubious – if not dark – magic? (For details on banned love spells see page 54) A neutral spectator is tempted to say "yes". He has to be. It is hardly conceivable that the saviour of the wizarding world fell for Mr. Malfoys limited good looks._

"Limited good looks?" sqeaked Draco.

Harry leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. "You´re very goodlooking, love. You were rude to her yesterday and she´s out for revange. Don´t believe a word that hag says."

"Page 14," professor Snape said from the back of the room.

Hastily the boys searched for the indicated page. There was a photo of Draco, which must have been taken after a quidditch match. The blond´s face was covered in sweat and dirt and his hair was wet and lank. Photo-Draco tried to wipe his face with his sleeve and smeared more dirt onto it in the process.

It took several minutes for Draco to calm down enough to read the rest.

_Furthermore showed no affinity to boys in the past. This and ´s possessive behaviour indicate that our teenage hero has been trapped._

_But what did Draco Malfoy use as bait? Well, that question seems to be easily answered. The Malfoy fortune. This reporter saw walk into the village in old muggle clothes and leave it clad in silk. Although it is rather disappointing to learn that the Boy Who Lived isn´t immune to material temptations, it is only too understandable. Despite being the heir to the Potter fortune, our hero lives more than modest since he won´t have access to his fortune before he graduates._

The article was continued on page 18, under the photo Snape had shown them on the spiral staircase.

_A reliable source within Gladrags informed this reporter that seems to enjoy ´s approaches._

"_I didn´t know where to look," says the – anonymous – source. "They insisted on sharing a changing room and they were all but ravishing each other while they changed. It was so embarrassing!"_

_It can be assumed that whatever magic was used on Harry Potter contained a lust component. (for information on lust potions see page 69)_

_We wish the wizarding hero all the best and warn . Don´t you dare break Harry Potter´s heart, Draco Malfoy!_

"Oh my God!" muttered Draco and looked up at his father. "No wonder there were howlers."

"And there will be many more," sneered Lucius. "And you deserve every single one!" He turned to Dumbledore, who had been watching the scene silently so far. "I insist my son be restricted to the castle until the potion wears off. And I insist he hears all those howlers. Can you arrange a room for him, where he can receive his mail?"

"That can be done." The headmaster´s eyes twinkled. "Follow me."

The old wizard led the group to an empty classroom. "You will stay in this room until curfew. Lunch and dinner will be served."

Draco stepped into the classroom as if walking to his doom.

"I´ll stay with Draco!" Harry said insistantly.

Lucius looked as if he was going to object, but the headmaster nodded. "It seems only just that you share his punishment. Ah, Lucius, didn´t you mention a message from Draco´s mother?"

"I nearly forgot," said the blond. "Narcissa would have my hide if I brought it back home." He handed Draco a parcel.

-x-

Harry conjured a blanket and they sat comfortably on the floor at the back of the classroom.

"Thanks for staying with me," whispered Draco and leaned closer.

Harry thought he was in heaven when the blond´s lips touched his. The kiss wasn´t passionate and urgent like those they had stolen the days before, but slow and loving.

They were interrupted by the arrival of the first post owls.

Several people were telling Draco off for messing with the hero of the wizarding world, but there were also some howlers for Harry.

"HOW STUPID CAN YOU BE? TO BE CURSED BY A SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD? HOW CAN YOU HOPE TO OVERCOME THE DARK LORD WHEN YOU CAN´T EVEN COPE WITH A LITTLE BOY?" one howler said.

The boys tried to ignore the screaming voices, but it wasn´t easy. At last it was Draco who found a solution. He conjured earmuffs for both of them.

Opening ´s parcel brought a nice surprise. It contained an assortment of finest sweets and cakes.

They spent most of the day snogging and feeding each other chocolates. The only thing they had to be mindful of was preventing the howlers´ ashes from falling onto their food.

Harry thought it was his best weekend ever.

**Day 5**

Monday morning came inevitably and Harry was taken back to reality rudely.

"Harry! What happened to your lips? Were you stung by a bee? You should go to Madam Pomfrey before breakfast!" cried Hermione when he came down to the Common Room (he had decided on vanilla shower gel this morning after he had learned that Draco loved the taste).

"A bee?" laughed Lavender Brown. "No, Hermione, our Harry here overdid his snogging. I´m not surprised that you didn´t recognize the symptoms." She winked at Ron, who blushed.

Harry felt his cheeks heat.

"Harry!" Hermione squeeked. The girl looked scandalized.

Ron, on the other hand, looked pale. "I´d congratulate you, mate, if it hadn´t been Malfoy." He made a face.

Harry didn´t grace his friend with an answer, but climbed through the portrait hole and left for the Great Hall instead.

Draco wasn´t there. Harry was a bit disappointed for so far the blond had never failed to surprise him upon his entry to the hall. But then, he mused, perhaps this was the right occasion to do something for his love in return.

The Gryffindor drew his wand and waited on tenterhooks for Draco to make an appearance. The blond arrived five minutes later. He blew a kiss at Harry before he made his way to his usual seat. Harry waited for the blond to sit down before he cast his spell.

Under the Slytherin´s bottom the hard wooden bench changed to soft velvet upholstery and Harry was rewarded with a brilliant smile.

"Really, Harry," drawled Seamus, "you´re pathetic, both of you. I just look forward to the fight when you come back to your senses. You´ll want to hex each other into next month." He rubbed his hands in glee.

"That won´t happen!" Harry spat back defiantly. How dare Seamus!

Hermione muttered something about scarab beetles.

The Gryffindors had Charms first thing in the morning. Professor Flitwick spent the first half hour lecturing them not to try the love spells mentioned in the Sunday issue of the Prophet before he started explaining about basic healing charms.

It wasn´t a pleasant lesson. The students were given daggers and had to cut their fingers to practice the new spells on the cuts.

"A pity he didn´t teach us a spell to decrease a swelling," grinned Lavender when she passed Harry on her way out.

"Do you reckon Snape will discuss the Prophet?" asked Seamus when they went downstairs for their single potions lesson.

"I´m not sure I want Snape of all people to explain lust potions to me," moaned Ron.

Dean giggled. "I don´t think Harry would be opposed to the idea. He likes boys now."

If asked later, Harry couldn´t have told when he decided to do it. One moment he was walking down the stairs and the next he was rolling on the floor hitting Dean for all he was worth.

"I don´t like boys!" he screamed. "I like Draco! Exclusively!"

"Harry!" shouted Hermione. "Stop it!" Several girls joined her fearful cries.

Suddenly Harry was pulled off Dean.

"Mister Potter!" Professor McGonagall´s lips were so thin they were barely visible. "Stop this shameful behaviour at once! Twenty points from Gryffindor!"

Harry felt tears of fury well in his eyes. He tried to blink them away, nevertheless his hand was wet when he wiped his face with the back of his hand.

"You´re bleeding!" cried Hermione.

"Potter, Thomas, go to the hospital wing," ordered professor McGonagall. "I will notify professor Snape of your absence."

The two boys went to the hospital wing side by side in silence, scowling at each other from time to time.

Madam Pomfrey was bustling about the room when Harry and Dean entered. At the far end two boys were sitting on hospital beds. Harry´s heart missed a beat when he recognized the nearly white mop of hair. Draco´s usually well dressed hair stuck up in all directions. The boy looked as if he had just come out of a fist fight.

"Sweetheart!" Harry hurried to the blond´s side. "What happened to you?"

Draco was pressing a bloodstained cloth to his nose.

"Nothing, love," the Slytherin reassured him. "But you look dreadful. Who´s responsible for that nosebleed?" He looked around. "Thomas, if I learn that this was you, mercy on you! – Come here, dear." He used his cloth to wipe the blood off Harry´s nose.

Harry craned his neck to see who the second boy was. Blaise Zabini.

Madam Pomfrey ordered Blaise to stick out his tongue and administered some drops of a potion. Harry hoped it tasted vile.

"Now, Mister Thomas, Mister Potter, let me have a look at you." The matron cast a spell on Dean first. "I really want to know what got into you boys," she muttered.

Dean was sent back to Potions ten minutes later, Harry after half an hour.

Snape was in the middle of a lecture, not on lust potions, but on the properties of cherry root.

At lunchtime the Great Hall hummed with rumours. The Gryffindors exchanged stories about Blaise Zabini teasing Draco about Harry and the blond attacking him like a harpy.

"Ernie Macmillan from Hufflepuff says Draco tried to throttle Blaise," Neville informed his housemates. "And Hannah Abott swears he broke his nose. Blaise´ nose will never be the same again! It´s going to look like Dumbledore´s!"

"Thanks for this image," groaned Ron.

Harry couldn´t help but smile. Draco was so protective! Who had ever thought that! It was good to know he had somebody to stand up for him, which enabled him to take a break from being the wizarding world´s hero.

Harry and Ron had Divination after lunch. They had proceeded to taking the auspices, which was – according to professor Trelawney – the most difficult way of telling the future. The only good thing about this branch of Divination was that they needed the windows open, which did the atmosphere in the seer´s tower room a world of good.

"Welcome, my children," the professor greeted them in her usual hushed voice. "Today we will have a look into the future of one of the class. The flight of birds can't be interpreted for several persons for the purpose of individual predictions."

Several students raised their hand to volunteer, most of them girls, but the professor ignored them.

", the orb told me that you had an exceptional week. Let´s see whether the next will be equally exciting. Come to the window and tell us what you see."

Harry sighed and accepted the inevitable.

"There´s a dove sitting on the roof of the greenhouse. It coos. There are several crows near Hagrid´s hut. They´re fluttering about silently. And a sparrow´s sitting on the roof of your tower."

The rest of the lesson was spent analyzing Harry´s future. The dove, he was informed, meant that love was around the corner, but as the dove didn´t fly, there was no happy ending in sight. (Harry was just glad it didn´t mean his imminent death.) The crows, on the other hand, had the professor in fits.

"You poor boy!" she cried, "you poor, poor boy! It´s always the best that go first. Oh! Oh! Oh! Miss Patil, kindly prepare me a cup of tea!"

Parvati hurried to obey. The seer sipped the tea singing Parvati´s praise for the excellent brew. When she had finish her cuppa, she swirled the cup in her hand and looked into it.

"Aaaargh! Aaaaaargh!" she shrieked. "Oh my God! Oh my God!"

"What is it, professor?" asked Lavender and Parvati.

"The grim again!"

"Oh, I´m so sorry, professor!" cried Lavender.

"Not me, stupid child," sobbed the professor. "I was still thinking about Potter when I drank my tea. Potter has the grim! Oh you poor, poor boy!" It took nearly all the rest of the lesson for the woman to calm down.

"Professor," asked Parvati just before they left the classroom, "what does the sparrow mean?"

"That Potter doesn´t believe in augurs," sighed the professor.

The last lesson for the day was History of Magic. Again Harry spent it drawing hearts and writing his love´s name. Hermione kept glaring at him angrily and once she even whispered that she wasn´t going to lend him her notes if he missed the lecture so deliberately. Harry couldn´t have cared less.

As soon as professor Binns had dismissed them, the teenage hero rushed out of the classroom in order to run to the hospital wing. Draco hadn´t been at the Great Hall for lunch and Harry was nearly mad with worry. The blond hadn´t seemed so badly hurt.

Harry didn´t need to go as far as to the hospital wing to see his boyfriend, though. Draco waited for him just around the corner and together they ran to Moaning Myrtle´s bathroom.

As soon as the door had closed on them, Harry was shoved against the wall and his lips were claimed hungrily. The Gryffindor reacted without a second thought and pulled his boyfriend closer. The door handle dig in Harry´s back, but the passion in Draco´s kiss was worth the slight discomfort.

"Not that I will complain," panted Harry when Draco moved on to nibbling his earlobe, "but what caused this?"

Draco abandoned the earlobe in favour for an answer. "A reminder. I needed a reminder. After having beat up Zabini and Macmillan I needed to remember what I was doing this for." He attacked Harry´s ear with new gusto.

"Macmillan?" piped Harry. "When did you beat up Macmillan?"

"On the way to lunch. He asked what you saw in a filthy rag."

"You should have left him to me. Oiiiiii! Can you do that again?"

Draco was only to happy to oblige and bit down on Harry´s earlobe. Gods! Draco was a well of surprises. Who´d have thought that the blond had such a skillful mouth!

"Are you sure that this is the right thing to do for a courting couple?" gasped Harry. "Not that I don´t like it, mind you."

Draco disentangled himself from Harry´s embrace. "You´re right, love. I´m glad that at least one of us doesn´t forget to think. Come, let´s find ourselves a spot to sit down."

He pulled Harry around the next corner, into the first cubicle. The toilet had been removed and a checkered picnic blanket lay on the floor. In the middle of the blanket stood a big basket.

"I had a word with the house elves," grinned Draco. "Dobby was only too happy to be of assistance when he heard this was for you." He sat down and patted the spot beside him. Harry was only too happy to oblige and settled down beside the blond.

They had a delicious dinner of roast chicken and salad and treacle tart as a dessert.

"This is so much better than the Great Hall," whispered Harry.

"Isn´t it," drawled Draco. "I can stare my fill of you and nobody will think anything of it. You know, love, I think we should forego our breakfast niceties. It´s too public. What about we have dinner here together every day instead?"

Harry nodded. "I hate to admit it, but I think it makes sense to be more discreet."

Draco smiled and leaned over for a kiss.

"Let´s do our homework. It won´t do to get into trouble and be caught in detention without each other."

Harry had to admit that Draco had a point again. He rummaged in his bag for his divination text and started to make up his predictions.

"What are you doing?" asked Draco, looking up from his arithmancy homework.

"Predicting the future."

"I´m not an expert, but shouldn´t you work with tealeaves or cards or something?"

"Birds. We´re taking the auspices. You don´t want me to go outside to find some birds, do you?"

"Of course not!" Draco leaned over to steal another kiss.

"So I have to make up what I see."

"Won´t Trelawney notice?"

"Nah, I´ve been making up predictions for more than three years now. She buys anything."

"Anything?"

"Anything!"

"A flamingo flying over Hogwarts?"

"Draco! You´re a natural!" giggled Harry. He noted down the flamingo and leafed through his textbook to look up its meaning. Draco rolled his eyes. "You sly dog!" cried Harry. "A flamingo means passion and as it was flying, I will get a lot of it in the near future."

The blond put down the roll of parchment he was working on. "Now, what will I do in order not to ruin my reputation as a seer?" He looked at Harry predatorily.

There was much giggling and kissing over the next half hour. Then they returned to their homework and by the time they had to leave, Harry had finished all his homework but the History essay. But he had plenty of time to finish that until Friday, so there was no harm done.

After reminding each other to lay low at breakfast the next day, they parted. Despite the unpleasant morning, it had been a good day, Harry mused.


	4. Days 6 and 7

**Day 6**

Harry thought it was a pity that they had decided not to exchange loving gestures at breakfast. But of course he knew that it was the sensible thing to do. Nevertheless it was hard not to stare over to the Slytherin table all the time.

The good thing about the whole matter was that he had time to chat with his friends. It seemed they had missed him.

"I don´t know where you were, mate," sighed Ron. "I was hoping for your help with my divination essay."

"What would you need that for?" asked Hermione. "You´re making the whole thing up anyway."

"You hurt me, Hermione!" cried Ron dramatically. "Divination is a subtle art! You have to interpret the signs! And the old bat herself said that you had no talent for it whatsoever. So don´t talk about things you don´t know!"

Harry supressed a giggle when Hermione huffed angrily.

"We can note down what you see and you can look up the meaning later," he suggested.

"You mean I´m not to know what I predict in advance?" Ron looked doubtful.

"Give it a try," laughed Harry. "That´s what I did and it was fun." He blushed at the thought of Draco making their prediction come true right away.

Ron paled. "Please, don´t tell me. I don´t need to know that."

Hermione looked at Harry sternly and Harry felt himself blush even more. Luckily Neville joined the conversation and Harry was saved from having to justify himself again.

"I went down to the lake yesterday evening to take the auspices. I saw a kingfisher diving."

"Wonderful, Neville. What does it mean?" Harry asked eagerly, more to distract Hermione than out of real interest.

Neville grinned. "It means that I will have to work hard to reach my goals. But I will reach them! The kingfisher held a fish when it resurfaced."

"Wow! Congratulations, mate," Harry beamed at Neville.

"I don´t believe in divination," said Hermione, "but it´s fun to hear nevertheless."

They went to their next lesson – Transfiguration – in a better mood than they had since last Thursday and the morning passed quite peacefully.

When Harry left the Defence classroom, Draco was waiting for him.

"Can we talk a walk, Potter?" he asked, glaring at the other Gryffindors.

Harry asked himself when he had become Potter again. Feeling slightly uneasy, he followed Draco to the lawn.

"What for were you giving Longbottom the eye at breakfast?" the blond asked as soon as they had walked far enough not to be overheard.

"I did what?" spluttered Harry.

"I watched you! You were flirting with him shamelessly!" hissed Draco in righteous anger.

"I did not!" protested the Gryffindor. "Why would I flirt with Neville when we are courting? Neville isn´t a patch to you! I can´t believe you!"

"He isn´t a patch to me?" Draco asked shyly.

"Of course not! Look at you! You´re the most gorgeous boy at Hogwarts! You´re good looking, clever and powerful! What could Neville possibly offer that you don´t?"

"I´m an arrogant git sometimes," Draco muttered selfconsciously.

"My arrogant git," said Harry.

Draco blushed, which made his cheeks a light pink. Harry thought it looked most delicious.

"I´m sorry for accusing you," muttered the Slytherin.

"You were jealous. I like when you´re possessive." Harry touched Draco´s hand gently. Since they stood on the lawn in plain view from the castle, he didn´t dare do more.

"Let me make it up to you," smiled the blond. "What about a boat trip after dinner?"

"A boat trip? That sounds good to me."

"A boat trip it is then," beamed Draco. "Meet me by the lake at eight."

The prospect of a boat trip left Harry fidgety for the rest of his lessons. He could hardly wait for the bell to announce the end of lessons. As they were hardly going to work on the boat, he had to finish his homework between lessons and dinner. The Gryffindor rushed to the library and composed his essays in record time. True, they weren´t his best work ever, but all that Harry was interested in was that he finished them in time.

"Where were you?" asked Ron when his best friend sat down beside him. "You weren´t snogging Malfoy again, were you?"

"Of course not!" huffed Harry as if the mere suggestion was offending. "For your information, I was at the library and worked. You should try it, too, sometime."

Ron looked at is if Harry had sprouted whiskers. Hermione, on the other hand, looked pleased.

"It seems something good comes out of this whole thing, in the end. Are you trying to get good marks in order to impress Malfoy? His marks are a lot better than yours, Harry."

"Thanks, Hermione," snapped Harry, "now I will be asking myself what he sees in a stupid runt like myself for the rest of the day."

"Harry, I never said you were stupid!" cried Hermione. "I just said that Malfoy´s a very good student."

Harry snorted and tucked into his soup. He forewent dessert for he thought Draco was probably going to bring food to their trip and he didn´t want to disappoint him by not eating any of it.

At a quarter to eight Harry excused himself under the colour of having forgotten his transfiguration text and slipped out of the castle. It was a nice evening. The air was still warm and the fragrance of spring flowers was in the air.

Harry hurried down to the lakeside, turning to make sure he wasn´t followed from time to time.

Draco waited by the beech tree.

"You´re early. So eager. I like that." He pressed a quick kiss to Harry´s lips. "Come, our boat is hidden over there."

"How did you get hold of a boat at all?" asked the Gryffindor.

"Transfigured it from a fircone. Come!"

They ran along the shore side by side, hand in hand. Hidden from view by a few bushes, a rowboat waited for them. Draco stepped into the water without hesitation and held his hand out for Harry to go upon. When Harry had sat down, Draco climbed into their boat.

The blond dried his shoes with a quick spell and cast a notice-me-not spell on them and their boat. "We don´t want to be stared at, do we?" he smiled. Then he sat down and dipped the oars into the water.

For a while Harry enjoyed watching the blond row, but soon he got rather annoyed by his boyfriend being occupied with other things than flirting.

"Draco," he said awkwardly, "are you sure you have to row this boat by hand? Can´t we spell the oars? I´d rather enjoy your company than watch you work like a slave."

Draco shook his head. "Harry, I offended you by uttering wrong accusations. I have to make it up to you!"

"And you think you have to exert yourself to do that?" Harry patted the bench beside him. "Why don´t you spell those oars and come over here?"

"If you insist," Draco´s eyes were twinkling madly. He cast a spell and the boat floated towards the middle of the lake of its own accord. The oars slipped away, but neither boy cared. Draco sat by Harry´s side. "Now, what will you do, when you have me where you wanted me?"

Harry leaned closer to the blond. The thought that it was him iniciating a kiss was exciting. Usually it had been the Slytherin who had started things. Harry slid his hand through Draco´s hair and covered the last few inches which seperated them. Draco tasted of vanilla and chocolate.

"Delicious," Harry muttered against the blond´s lips.

Draco pulled back a little distance. "What´s delicious, my Harry? My kiss or the icecream I had before I came here?"

"Both, but especially the kiss," admitted Harry.

"So you´d like some ice-cream yourself?" asked the blond.

"Later," moaned Harry and leaned in for another kiss. Draco grinned wantonly and leaned back even more. The Gryffindor wasn´t distracted easily and moved in on his prey. With a lour thud they toppled over and Harry landed on top of the blond.

"So much passion! So eager!" teased Draco before he pulled Harry down for another kiss.

-x-

They were in for a bad surprise though. When they tried to go back to the shore in time for curfew, their boat didn´t move. Draco cast his spell again and again, but to no avail at all.

"Let´s face it," sighed the Slytherin. "We´re caught."

"At least we won´t starve," Harry pointed out. They still had some ice-cream.

Draco snickered. "You´re happy as long as you have some food with you, aren´t you? - We´ll need help and I don´t want to start thinking how many points they will take if they find us here."

Harry gasped. "Do you think boat trips are forbidden?"

"I have no idea, but there must be a reason why nobody goes on boat trips on this lake."

They lifted the notice-me-not spell and waited.

After nearly an hour, a black clad person stalked down from the castle. Harry groaned. Why had it to be Snape of all people who came to retrieve them? Certainly the potions master was going to blame him, Harry, of being responsible for their situation and Gryffindor was going to be the only house to lose points.

Snape stood by the shore and watched them for nearly five minutes before he lifted his wand. On cue, their boat started to move and hit the shore right in front of the waiting Head of Slytherin.

"Extracurricular activities again, gentlemen?" sneered Snape. "When will you ever learn?"

"Sir," Draco said with the courage worthy of a Gryffindor, "we are courting. We´re supposed to go on dates, but we aren´t allowed to leave the school grounds. We did nothing wrong. Just a little trip and some spoonfuls of ice-cream."

"Mister Malfoy," sneered Snape, "stop insulting my intelligence. You and Potter were caught in an ancient spell which was cast be the founders themselves. A spell to make sure that certain responsibilties were met."

"What?" asked Harry.

Draco must have understood what Snape was talking about for he blushed crimson. "We didn´t ... just a few kisses."

"Just a few kisses?" Snape laughed, but there was no humour in the sound. "Those must have been quite spectacular kisses to trigger the spell."

Finally Harry caught up. "Wait a minute!" he cried, "what are you suggesting?"

"I'm not suggesting anything, Potter. I´m just pointing out which spell caught you in the middle of the lake." Snape seemed to enjoy himself a lot. Too much for Harry´s taste. "Well, let´s see. That´s leaving the castle without permission, forbidden use of a boat on the lake, triggering an ancient spell, disturbing my evening and breaking curfew. I think I´ll make it onehundred points from Gryffindor and another hundred from Slytherin." Both boys gasped. "Oh and another hundred from Gryffindor for making a Slytherin break the rules."

"That´s not fair!" protested Harry.

"And another ten for questioning a teacher´s fairness. Back to the castle now!"

The two boys followed Snape with hanging heads.

"Severus! What in Merlin´s name happened to the Gryffindor hourglass?" Professor McGonagall was standing by the entrance, livid. She pursed her lips when she saw Harry. "Potter! Why am I not surprised? – What did he do this time, Severus."

Snape reported where and why he had caught the two boys.

"Harry Potter!" cried the witch. "Up to the tower, trollop! I will write to your relatives immediately! But first, would you mind to explain why Gryffindor is missing more points than Slytherin, Severus?"

"I´m sorry," whispered Draco while the teachers were muttering in urgent voices.

Harry grinned. "No need to. The Dursleys won´t care at all. They´ll probably give their consent to our marriage as long as it rids them of me."

"Consent to our marriage?" drawled Draco. "Splendid! In this case we can get married after my birthday and won´t have to wait for yours."

Harry blushed. "Didn´t you forget something?"

"Not really. I will, of course, propose formally, but not now. I don´t happen to carry a ring with me."

Meanwhile the techers had finished their discussion and both boys were shooed to their houses rather rudely.

Harry lay awake for a long time that evening. He didn´t wear Draco´s ring yet, but the blond had as good as proposed. Wonderful! He, Harry Potter, unwanted freak, was going to have a husband and a family.

**Day 7**

When Harry came down to breakfast a little later than usual – he had tried out a new ironing charm and in the end had to ask Dobby to repair the burns in his robes – Gryffindor house was in a turmoil.

"Twohundred points!" Ginny kept crying. "What do you have to do to lose twohundred points?"

"You´re right, Ginny," added Neville. "One person alone can´t lose so many points! It has to have been a group. Not NEWT students. It takes quite a lot of youthful stupidity to lose twohundred points!" He and Dean wandered off to the far end of the table to interview their younger housemates Ellington, Dane, Smith and Finnegan (a cousin of Seamus), who were known trouble-makers.

"What´s this about?" Harry asked Hermione innocently as he sat down beside her.

"Somebody lost twohundred points. Are your robes smelling burnt?"

"New ironing charm," muttered Harry and helped himself to toast, butter and strawberry jam.

"It´s not very good, is it?" Hermione pointed her wand at Harry´s robes and they smelled of fresh mountain air instead of burnt cloth. "I think whoever lost those points did you a favour, Harry. It will distract the house from that potions accident and your courtship."

Harry made an uncommital noise. He just hoped that Hermione was never going to find out who lost those points.

-x-

Of course Harry wasn´t lucky enough for that to happen. Professor Snape himself took it upon him to enlighten the house.

"Potter," he drawled from behind Harry´s seat, "I hope you recovered from your latest loss of points. The peace within the house suggest that you were readily forgiven. Unfortunately Mister Malfoy wasn´t equally lucky."

"What?" squeaked Harry. He craned his neck to see Draco, but the blond waved at him shyly and didn´t look hurt at all. When he refocused on his own table, all his housemates were glaring angrily at him.

"What did you do?" Dean asked icyly. "Snog the ferret in front of the staff room?"

"Nah, that can´t be it," said Seamus. "They don´t take more than twenty for snogging in front of the staff room."

For a moment everybody neglected Harry in favour of staring at the Irish boy. "Who?" asked Ron.

Seamus grinned. "That´s for me to know and you to guess."

"Do tell!" insisted Neville.

"Certainly not," Seamus grin broadened even more. "And don´t you all forget something?"

"Right! Spill it, Potter, what did you do?" Dean returned to the topic at hand. "Did Snape catch you naked on the quidditch pitch or what?"

"What?" Harry squeaked. "No!"

"Boys, there are ladies present," snapped Hermione.

"Where?" asked Seamus.

"Come on, Harry," said Ron, "we deserve some details in exchange for our points."

"Ron," asked Harry, "would you tell us what you and Hermione are doing?"

"Of course," shrugged Ron, "we were snogging behind the greenhouses yesterday evening. Your turn."

"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione left her seat as if stung by a wasp. "You toad!" she slapped the redhead and stomped out of the hall.

"Hermione!" Ron went after her immediately. "Don´t tell them anything while I´m not here," he cried back at Harry over his shoulder.

-x-

The boys cornered Harry at any occasions, but of course the wizarding world´s saviour to be wasn´t one to kiss and tell. So he spent the morning fencing out his friends – with a small smile in the morning, but his mood went down the more often he was asked.

What held Harry in play was the fact that he had no chance to ask his beloved how he was. Had he been in trouble with his housemates? Harry tried to escape his fellow Gryffindors in order to speak to the blond, but Ron, Neville, Seamus and Dean kept a close eye on him.

"You don´t seriously think we´ll let you lose more points with Malfoy," grinned Ron.

By lunchtime Harry was so fed up that he was ready to scream his question from the astronomy tower if only he was going to get an answer. When they entered the Great Hall for their meal he turned and confronted his dorm mates.

"Listen," he said firmly, "I will go over to the Slytherin table to speak with Draco now. And you will leave me alone!" He stomped off before any of his friends could say a word.

"Harry!" Draco greeted him enthusiastically. The blond pecked Harry on the cheek. "What a wonderful surprise!"

The other Slytherins smirked at Harry, but none of them said anything.

"Snape said your house gave you trouble for losing points," said the Gryffindor, the question which had been troubling him unspoken.

Draco squeezed Harry´s hand. "Poor you! He was making fun of you. Nobody gave me a hard time. We may have lost hundred points, but Gryffindor lost more. So Slytherin is better off than before. Actually they think I´ve done quite well. – Did Gryffindor give you trouble?"

"They keep pestering me what we did to lose those points and they hardly left me alone all day."

"Hm, that could be a problem. How am I to spoil you tonight when your friends keep following you around?"

"I´ll think of something," Harry promised eagerly.

"Do that, love, do that," Draco beamed at Harry and this smile alone was worth all the trouble to Harry. "Now off to lunch with you." Draco slapped Harry´s behind playfully when the Gryffindor turned to return to his house table and Harry jumped with a yelp.

The afternoon crawled by far too slow. Wednesday was the only day of the week without a joint Gryffindor and Slytherin class and all Harry could do was thinking of his boyfriend longingly.

Again Harry rushed to the library to get rid of his homework before dinner. It came as a good surprise that Draco was already there.

The blond´s face lit up with the most brilliant smile when he saw Harry. He motioned for Harry to join him at his table and sent Crabbe and Goyle off. The two Slytherins moved their books to an other table grudgingly.

Draco wiped the chair Crabbe had vacated moments ago. "Sit here, love." He patted the seat.

Harry complied. Draco reached for his hand and pressed a kiss to the Gryffindor´s fingers. "Come, let´s get this done quickly. I have a surprise for you after dinner!"

Harry enjoyed the feel of Draco´s lips on his fingertips. "It won´t cost us points, will it?"

"Don´t worry, beloved. I asked for permission and it was granted."

"Permission?" Harry asked curiously.

The blond smirked. "I pointed out that I was supposed to spend time with my intended. Courtship is, after all, a sacred tradition. Now let´s write those essays. – Although I´d much rather kiss your devine lips."

Harry blushed. Feeling courageous, he extended his leg and touched the blond´s ankle. Draco sucked his bottom lip to supress a moan.

"Mmh!" he purred.

"You look adorable, beloved," whispered Harry.

"So do you, my little devil!" Draco whispered back.

At her counter, Madam Pince caughed.

The boys snickered softly before they turned to their homework.

-x-

Harry met Draco after dinner at the Entrance Hall. Oddly enough the blond wasn´t alone. He was standing in front of the statue of Godric Gryffindor – Harry blushed thinking about their song behind the founder – with Madam Hooch.

"Harry!" beamed Draco and rushed to kiss his love´s fingers. "Come, let´s go!"

"Where are we going?" asked the wizarding hero.

"Flying," grinned the blond. "Madam Hooch will kindly chaperone us. – Thanks again, professor."

"You´re welcome, ," replied the flying instructor. "Sometimes I think there's too little romance in the world."

"In this case let´s make it a little bit better," Draco offered his hand to Harry.

"Draco," said Harry, "I need to go and get my broom first."

"Oh no, love, no need to. I took the liberty of asking Dobby to get it for you."

Harry smiled happily and took Draco´s hand.

Dobby waited for them by the Slytherin stands. He gave them their broomsticks and with a shy smile at Harry disapparated.

Madam Hooch sat on a bench in the Slytherin stands and the two boys took off. They chased each other around the pitch in high spirits. First Harry made his escape and Draco went after him, then Harry chased the blond. They moved around each other smoothly and Harry couldn´t help but think of a mating dance.

After an hour Draco signalled Harry to land.

"What about a little game, love? I have a training snitch." He showed the fluttering golden ball.

"Oh yes!" cried Harry. "Let´s play!"

Draco smirked. "The winner gets a kiss!" He released the snitch and the two boys kicked off. The snitch – being a training ball – didn´t disappear, but instead fluttered away on a zigzag course. Harry leaned down onto his broomstick to gain speed. Draco was an excellent flyer and, the Gryffindor had to admit, he looked gorgeous on a broom. His blond hair flew behind him like a veil and his robes fluttered, revealing his ankles from time to time.

Harry stayed close behind the blond for a while and stared his fill, but then he gripped his broomstick even harder and overtook the blond. The snitch doubled twice more before Harry was able to snatch it. Harry landed and held up the still fluttering ball triumphantly

"I won!" he cried happily. "Where is my kiss?"

Draco laughed as he dismounted his broom. "Come here, monster." He kissed Harry hungrily and Harry kissed back for all he was worth.

"Open it." Draco panted when the pulled back.

"What?"

"Open the snitch!"

Harry obeyed and gasped. The snitch had been the vessel for a delicate gold ring with a small diamond. Draco sank down on a knee. "Harry, beloved, will you grant me the honour to become my husband?" the blond asked nervously.

Harry shivered. Draco had said that he wanted to propose, but Harry had never thought he was going to right the next day.

"Harry?" Draco asked nervously.

Harry was startled out of his revery. "Of course, Draco! Nothing would make me more happy than to marry you!" He pulled the Slytherin up and kissed him passionately.

Draco wrapped his arms around the smaller boy. "I love you!" he whispered into Harry´s ear.

"I love you, too," replied the Gryffindor. "Can you help me?" He held out his hand with his ringfinger stretched out.

"My pleasure!" smiled the blond. He took the ring out of the snitch and slid it on Harry´s finger.

Harry had to blink away tears when he looked at his hand.

"Now you´re mine," whispered Draco. He smiled happily and Harry whimpered. He was no longer an orphan, despised by his relatives. He belonged. And not just to anybody. He belonged to Draco Malfoy, the best catch at Hogwarts. Hogwarts? The best catch the wizarding world offered!


	5. Days 8 and 9 and ever after

**Day 8**

Harry blinked and stretched luxuriously. He lifted his now beringed hand high above his head and wiggled his finger. The morning sun caught in the diamond and made it twinkle.

"Blimey, Harry!" cried Ron and sat up in his bed. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Psssst!" Harry urged his best friend to be quiet. "It´s a secret!"

The redhead left his own bed in favour for sitting on the edge of Harry´s. He grabbed the wizarding hero´s hand and looked at the ring closely.

"It´s gorgeous, isn´t it?" beamed Harry in a low whisper.

"A bit small," Ron pointed out. "I mean, he´s Malfoy after all."

"He had to buy it with his pocket money. I´ll get a bigger one once he has access to his vaults and this isn´t about size anyway." Harry reached for his wand and with a sigh cast a charm to hide the ring.

"Why do you have to hide it?" asked Ron. "Is he ashamed of you?"

"Of course not, but we decided it´s better to keep this secret for a while." Neither Harry nor Draco wanted to face Lucius Malfoy after Rita Skeeter had a go at their engagement. Draco had pointed out that his father might disinherit him for marrying his love. Harry had kissed the blond and reassured him that the Potter and Black vaults held more money than they could spend in a lifetime.

"But I´m a Malfoy! I have an exquisite taste!" Draco had pouted.

Harry had kissed him again. "You have. Especially when it comes to your lover."

"I have, haven´t I?" Draco had moaned and returned the kiss enthusiastically. Unfortunately Madam Hooch had decided that was enough romance and shooed them inside before their kisses could become more passionate.

"Harry?" Ron shook his friend gently.

"What?"

"You kind of blanked out. You had a foolish grin all over your face."

"I was thinking about our engagement kiss."

"Don´t tell me! Please, don´t tell me!"

For the first time this year, Harry looked forward to double Potions in the afternoon. Maybe Snape was going to team him up with Draco again. He just hoped so!

The morning passed quite quickly. Harry sat in his lessons, touching his ring from time to time when nobody looked. Defence was even fun. The professor decided to make it a practical lesson and they practiced the Patronus charm. The teacher was in for a surprise, because due to Harry´s teaching efforts half of the class knew already how to conjure a patronus.

Harry smiled when he cast his spell and instead of his trademark stag a ferret popped into existance. Most students were too busy to notice, but Hermione cast a suspicious glance at him.

They had barely sat down for lunch when the girl moved in on Harry.

"What happened to your patronus? Explain!"

"Well, it changed, like Tonks´. The patronus shows what we love most, and for me that´s a certain Slytherin."

"What does Malfoy say that you picture him a ferret?" asked Neville. Dean and Seamus smirked. "He gave Justin a pig snout for just hinting it last month!"

Harry paled. He didn´t want to anger his beloved, but he knew how much Draco hated to be reminded of the ferret incident.

When the Gryffindor left the hall after lunch for Divination, he was pulled behind the statue of his house´s founder.

"Love!" Draco pressed a passionate kiss to Harry´s lips. "What upset you so at lunch?"

"I´m not upset!" squeaked Harry.

"Nonsense," whispered the blond. "You came to lunch in a perfect mood and then Longbottom said something and you looked crestfallen. What did he say? Do you want me to hex him?"

"No!" cried Harry. And in a lower voice he repeated "No!" He swallowed hard. "Can I show you something?"

"Fire away!" Draco smiled.

"Not here!"

They went to an empty classroom and Harry kissed Draco once again before the blond – Harry was sure of it – was going to demand his ring back and never talk to Harry again.

"Something happened to my patronus. – Expecto patronum!"

The small ferret shot forward and weaseled around Harry, sniffing the air for any trace of danger. When it detected none, it dissolved.

"I´m sorry," muttered Harry.

"Don´t be!" cried Draco and pulled Harry close for a hug. "I´m honoured to be your patronus."

"But it´s a ferret!" cried Harry. "It should be a proud dragon if it´s supposed to be you."

"Harry!" Draco wiped the tears from Harry´s cheeks. "A dragon would signify the dream image my father has of me, but the ferret tells me that you love the real me, with all my faults. I´m glad it´s a ferret and not a dragon."

"Really?" hiccuped Harry.

"Really." Draco kissed Harry once more before they had to run to their classes.

-x-

Sybill Trelawney looked down at Harry´s homework in disbelief.

"A flamingo, ? In Northern Scotland? Are you sure?"

Harry nodded boldly. "It was a large pink bird, standing on one leg. I´m sure it was a flamingo, professor."

The seer shook her head muttering about frauds, but then she was distracted by Dean´s prediction, which stated that he had seen a penguin flying over the forbidden forest.

The professor´s hace was red with fury. She was just going to start her tantrum when Parvati raised her hand and called out for the seer´s attention shyly.

"Professor," she said cautiously, "I wondered while I worked on my homework, whether thestrals have to be taken into account with auspices."

"Stupid child, would you note down butterflies or bats? No! Nor would you a thestral! Augures work with birds and birds only."

"Thank you, professor," beamed Parvati. "I knew you were going to help me!"

"What did you use?" asked Trelawney. "The orb? Tealeaves?"

Parvati blushed. "Cards, professor."

"Ah, tarot! Very reliable!"

"Actually I had to use my exploding snap cards," admitted Parvati, "but it seems to have worked."

"Well done, my child!" cried the seer. "Those among us who truely possess the inner eye, can make use of the most simple means to foresee the future!"

Harry bit his bottom lip not to laugh out loud. As soon as he and Ron had left the classroom, they burst out laughing.

-x-

"Thanks for saving me, Parvati," Ron said on their way down to the dungeons. "Do you fancy a butterbeer next time we´re in Hogsmeade?"

"That would be great!" smiled Parvati.

Behind them Hermione huffed.

Harry smiled. No more jealousy and petty flirting for him. He belonged to Draco and Draco was his. It was very reassuring.

The Slytherins were already there when the Gryffindors entered the dungeon classroom. Harry went boldly to sit beside Draco. The blond smiled at him brilliantly and touched his hand gently.

"Don´t you dare snog in potions and lose points, Harry!" Seamus cried from the back of the class.

"A brilliant suggestion, !" said professor Snape. He entered the classroom in his usual swirl of black robes. "There will be no brewing today," continued the potions master. "Last week´s accident" – he glared at the two lovers – "showed me that you´re shockingly incompetent when it comes to dealing with mistakes in your brewing. The reason Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy discovered a new ... fondness of each other is that neither of the two knew how moonstone was going to react with shrivelfig. You will today analyze the recipe we used last week in detail. I want a report on the role of each ingredient and how it would interact with other substances. Start! Now!"

It was dull work. Harry and Draco leafed through their potions texts and scribbled down what they found.

The lesson was nearly over, when Draco nudged Harry and pointed at a paragraph in the book. Harry read it and the further he got, the more fear creeped up his spine. The text described the properties of scarab eyes, which – according to the book – limited the effectiveness of most potions to a short period of time.

Draco gripped Harry´s hand and the two boys looked at each other in panic. Their happiness was only temporary!

They escaped to the library after the lesson and Harry cried his eyes out on Draco´s shoulder.

"This was the happiest week of my life! I don´t want it to end!"

"Nor do I, beloved. You make me happy and I want things to stay like they are."

"But the scarab eyes!" sobbed Harry.

"Every magical ingredient has an antidote, Harry. We only have to find it."

"An antidote!" Harry´s eyes shone with new hope.

-x-

They searched until dinner and returned to the library after their meal to continue their task. It was in vain. No book mentioned how to counteract scarab eyes.

**Day 9**

Harry woke feeling sore. He had cried himself to sleep the night before and he felt like crying again when he woke.

They had checked shelves and shelves of potions books, had worked until Madam Pince shooed them out of the library, but to no result at all. On the contrary. They had found a book that called scarab eyes ´a foolproof way to limit efficacy´. Foolproof. That meant scarab eyes would work no matter what you did. There was no way to counteract them by accident. And if it couldn´t be done by chance, it couldn´t be done at all.

Harry held his ring close to his heart and cried. Sooner or later he was going to lose Draco. Snape had said the potion would wear off within a week. What if he walked down to breakfast and Draco didn´t want him any more? Harry cried even harder at the thought.

"Harry?" Ron touched his friend´s shoulder gently. "What is it? Did Malfoy hurt you?"

"No!" cried Harry. He tried to roll away from his best friend and hide in the pillows, but Ron wouldn´t have it.

"Then why are you crying?"

"It´s more than a week! Soon the potion will wear off and Draco won´t want me any more!" the teenage hero sobbed. "I can´t stand the thought of Draco looking at me other than lovingly. What if he is disgusted he ever touched me?"

"In that case you will be disgusted, too. Won´t you?" asked Ron.

"I don´t want that!" wailed Harry.

"What´s this racket about?" asked Seamus sleepily.

"Harry just realized that his little romance is coming to an end," Neville informed the Irish boy, thus giving away that he had been listening.

Seamus shrugged. "Why´s he crying about that? He still can blotch a potion again. We all know he´s good at that."

Harry sniffed. That was it! They had to brew the potion again! "Seamus, you´re a genius!" he cried happily and rushed downstairs. He only became aware that he was still in his pyjamas when Ernie wolfwhistled after him when he rushed through the Entrance Hall.

Luckily Draco was already at breakfast. The blond rushed to Harry when he saw how upset he was and they escaped to an empty classroom.

"Draco!" Harry panted after a passionate kiss, "Seamus gave me a brilliant idea! – Are you listening?"

"Sorry," smirked the blond, looking at Harry hungrily, "but you can´t come here in your nightwear and expect me to be able to concentrate. You look too good to eat! – Now, what about Finnegan?"

"Seamus said that we could still blotch the potion again!"

Draco raised his wand at Harry. "That seems like a good idea, but I won´t be able to think about it with you standing here in your pyjamas." Draco licked his lip and Harry blushed. The blond looked the Gryffindor over once more before he cast a spell and transfigured the flannel pyjamas into school robes. "Done. Now tell me about that idea."

"Seamus meant it as a joke, but I think it makes sense. We can blotch the potion again. Snape told us what we did wrong! The moonstone. Cherry root instead of cherry leaves. We can brew the potion again, but without the beetle eyes!"

Draco pulled Harry into a hug. "You´re so clever, my Harry. We will do that! But we need a place to brew it and we have to nick the ingredients."

"We can brew it at the room of requirement. The ingredients may be difficult."

"We need a variety of ingredients, but nothing really rare or expensive. We could use owl order." Draco frowned. "But I have to send the order off if we want the ingredients today."

The blond grabbed Harry´s hand and together they rushed to the owlery. Draco produced a piece of parchment and a quill from his pocket and together they drew up a list of what they needed. Draco added a request to send the ingredients as soon as possible before he whistled and an elegant eagle owl landed smoothly on his shoulder.

"Xerxes," Draco explained to the bird solemnly, "take this to the apothecary´s at Diagon Alley. You will be given a parcel. It´s very important and very urgent! Fly quickly!"

The two boys watched the bird take off before they returned to the Great Hall for Harry to get some breakfast.

Lessons crawled by. For the first time since the accident Harry didn´t enjoy History of Magic. Professor Binns´ boring lecture gave him plenty of time to worry and to think of the most humiliating and devastating scenarios for the potion to wear off. What if the efficacy of the brew ended before they could brew a new potion?

The wizarding hero had to use all his willpower not to cry of sheer despair.

The next lesson was Transfiguration, which was slightly better than History of Magic. At least it was a practical lesson and Harry needed to concentrate on the task at hand. The professor made them turn toenails into cuttlery. So they had to cut their nails first and Harry spent half an hour wondering what Draco´s toes looked like, but once he had started working on the spell, he was blissfully distracted from his worries.

Ron and Hermione had to usher Harry to the Great Hall for lunch. Harry had got all worked up over his fear, he was close to panic. What if Draco didn´t want him any longer? What if he, Harry, was asked to give the ring back in front of the whole school?

At last Hermione convinced him to calm down by pointing out that Draco had gotten some of the potion into his eyes and Snape had said it was more efficient if it touched mucous membraned.

"The potion will probably wear off for you first, Harry," Hermione said reassuringly. "So, if you still love Draco, he´s very likely to be still infatuated with you."

"It sounds so negative, the way you say ´infatuated´," sighed Harry.

Hermione looked at her friend, worried, but said nothing.

Draco waved and smiled at Harry at lunch, though, and the Gryffindor couldn´t have been happier. He was still loved. They still had a chance. All they had to do, was brew that potion in the evening.

In the afternoon they met in Care of Magical Creatures. They were made feed their Cleasles again. Draco tapdanced again and Harry caught the Cleasle after staring his fill of the blond. Unlike the week before, Draco didn´t complain, but showed off to his beloved. The Cleasle had a hard time following the Slytherins pirouettes and rapid foot-work. At last Harry took pity on the beast and grabbed it from behind.

The couple sat on the lawn side by side and Draco fed the Cleasle and Harry grapes in turn. The Gryffindor leaned as close to the blond as would be considered decent in public.

"Are you sure the owl can make it until dinner?"

"I´m confident. Xerxes is a fast flyer and a loyal familiar. I told him how important the matter is and he will rather die than disappoint me."

"I hope you´re right."

"What´s bothering you? I feel there´s more."

"What if the potion wears off before we have the new brew? What if it wears off before we can drink it?"

"You have to be a bit more optimistic, love," said Draco and squeezed Harry´s fingers reassuringly. "We´ve come so far, we´ll be okay. In some hours we´re going to brew our potion and then nothing can seperate us ever. We´re going to get married and live happily ever after."

"I hope you´re right," sighed Harry and leaned in for a kiss. Draco complied happily.

"Oh no! I told you last week to stay away from each other. Don´t make me give you detention!" growled Hagrid from behind them.

Harry blushed. "Sorry Hagrid," he apologized. "It won´t happen again."

The half-giant turned to help Dean and Parvati muttering about certain teachers making their students brew risky potions.

"That was a narrow miss!" sighed Harry when Hagrid was out of earshot. "I´d never forgive myself if I landed us in detention and cost us the chance to brew our potion."

"We need to be careful," agreed Draco.

-x-

Harry couldn´t help but stare at the Slytherin table all through dinner, but no owl made its way to Draco. The blond shrugged apologetically from time to time.

"Why are you staring at Malfoy?" asked Seamus. "Really, it´s time that potion wears off. It was kind of funny for a while but now it´s rather annoying."

Harry glared at the other boy angrily.

Hermione tried to calm their tempers by suggesting they go to the library together after the meal. Harry was grateful for the suggestion.

"I did most of my homework yesterday and I agreed to meet with Draco to write the Care of Magical Creatures essay after dinner."

"You won´t be snogging and losing points again?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"No, we won´t!" Harry rolled his eyes. "I learned my lesson."

"You better have," huffed Ron.

"Want to see my essay when I come back, Mum?" Harry snapped at his best friend. He got up from the table and left the Great Hall.

Draco followed barely a minute later.

"Did Weasley annoy you again, love?" he asked. "Are you sure you don´t want me to hex him? It would be my pleasure, really."

"That´s cute of you, but no." Harry pecked Draco´s cheek.

Hand in hand the two boys went to the owlery.

-x-

"What if he doesn´t come?" Harry asked for the third time. He sat on a window sill in the owlery, wrapped in his love´s arms.

"He will come, beloved."

"We have been waiting for more than an hour!"

"He will come, Harry. Calm down."

Xerxes came five minutes later. Draco raised a brow, but didn´t say "I told you so." They all but ran up to the room of requirement. Harry walked past the wall three times, thinking about how he needed a potions lab.

When he turned around the last time, there was a door and they slipped inside, before they were caught.

The room had provided them with a duplicate of the potions classroom. Even professor Snape´s instructions on the blackboard were there.

Draco unwrapped the ingredients and they started to brew.

Again, the blond did the actual brewing while Harry diced and cut and skinned. The only ingredient he was allowed to add was the shrivelfig and this time Draco gave him the thumbs up when he produced a lump.

"Shouldn´t it explode now?" Harry asked anxiously.

"The colour´s already changing. Let´s hide under a worktable!" cried Draco.

The boys ducked under a table and not a second too early. Their cauldron exploded spectacularly. They waited for the potion to rain down on the room before they scrambled out of their hiding place.

Draco went to the storeroom and returned with two small cups. He laddled a dose of potion into each and handed one cup to Harry.

"To us!" he said and smiled.

They downed the potion in one big gulp each.

"And now?" asked Harry.

"Now we hope and wait," sighed the Slytherin. "We can't have mucked up mucking up a potion, can we?" Suddenly he grinned. "Are you aware that we´re in the potions classroom and Snape can´t catch us?" He took Harry´s hand and pulled him to the front of the classroom.

"What..?" squeaked Harry, but Draco sealed his lips with a passionate kiss. The blond pushed Harry until he felt the edge of Snape´s desk on his behind. With a giggle Harry sat on the desk. The blond giggled, too, and continued to kiss the Gryffindor for all he was worth.

Harry wrapped his legs around Draco´s waist. "Snogging on Snape´s desk!" he giggled. "Naughty! How many points do you think would he take if he found out?"

Draco nibbled Harry´s earlobe. "One zillion points from Gryffindor and Slytherin each!"

**Day 10 **

As it was Saturday and Friday evening had been exhausting, Harry slept in.

"Come on or you won´t get any breakfast at all!" cried Ron when he pulled down Harry´s blanket.

"Ron!" squealed Harry. "I´m tired!" He tried to pull the blanket back up.

"Okay, mate. But don´t blame me if you go hungry until lunch," Ron let go of the blanket and Harry fell back onto the pillow with a soft thud. "Though I guess Malfoy will be worried if you don´t come to breakfast."

Grudgingly Harry had to admit that his friend was right. He got up and dressed. The only good thing about leaving bed was that there was a chance he was going to see Draco at breakfast. Draco! Harry supressed a moan. How was he ever going to look at Snape – or his desk – again without blushing?

Draco waited for Harry in the Entrance Hall with a basket.

"Fancy a picnic, sweetheart?" asked the blond.

Harry sent Ron off to the hall with a promise to talk to him later and went down to the lake with his boyfriend. They found themselves a hidden spot near the water and Draco laid out a variety of delicacies on a chequered blanket.

"Were you able to slip past McGonagall?" Draco asked with concern. "I can´t tell you how sorry I am that we missed curfew. I didn´t want to get you into trouble."

"I wasn´t caught," Harry reassured the Slytherin. "And you? Did Snape catch you?"

Draco shook his head and sat beside the Gryffindor. "No problem. He didn´t see me."

They spent the morning kissing and feeding each other small snaps of smoked salmon, bits of asparagus and – for dessert – grapes. When they had finished their meal, Draco lay down and Harry snuggled up to him and rested his head on the blond´s shoulder. It was pure bliss. The day was sunny and warm and the bushes around them were smelling of spring.

The two boys only went back to the castle when it was time for lunch. They walked all the way back hand in hand. From time to time they stopped to share a little kiss, but not much as neither boy wanted to lose house points in case they were seen.

"I´ll see you later," whispered Draco when they reached the Entrance Hall. He leaned in for a good-bye kiss and Harry kissed back enthusiastically.

It was like waking from a long sleep. What was he doing? Harry felt a shudder run down his spine. Hastily he disentangled himself from Malfoy´s arms.

"Baaah!" Harry licked his palm to clean his tongue. "Oh my God! Malfoy what are you doing?"

Draco looked hurt. "Kiss my fiancé?" he suggested.

"What?" shrieked Harry. "What kind of dark magic is this?" Were those tears in Malfoy´s eyes.

Hermione, who seemed to have been on her way to lunch, too, stepped to Harry´s side. "There was a potions accident, Harry. You were enamoured with Malfoy for more than a week."

Potions? He remembered. Oh God! What had he done! Hastily he pulled the ring from his finger and shoved it into Malfoy´s hand. Oh God! He had kissed the Slytherin ice prince!

"Why didn´t you stop me?" he snarled at Hermione. "Or why didn´t Snape at least team me up with someone less... repulsive? Why is it always me, anyway?"

"But you were lucky," Malfoy said coldly. He was shaking with anger and humiliation. "You got to kiss someone goodlooking."

Harry turned on the spot and rushed off to Gryffindor Tower.

It had been so wrong! So disgusting! But why did he feel like he had lost something?

**Nine and a half months later**

"I still can´t believe you´re going to do that, mate!" said Ron.

Harry frowned. "You´re not going to spoil this day for me, are you? We discussed this plenty of times! It´s what I want!"

"But it´s Malfoy!" insisted the redhead.

"Yes, it´s Draco Malfoy and I´m more than happy about that. He´s really sweet and you would see that, too, if you forgot your prejudices for just one minute! Help me with this wreath!"

"At least you aren´t going to wear a veil!"

"Ronald Weasley! Stop it immediately!" Hermione joined the conversation. She took the wreath from the bed and placed it on Harry´s head gently.

"I still can´t believe they got back together," insisted Ron.

"Well, it had been the happiest week of both our lives and once we admitted it to ourselves, we both wanted it back," smiled Harry.

"And you´re sure Lucius won´t disinherit Draco? Or curse you during the ceremony? I saw him lurking in the bushes with Snape earlier."

"Snape is Draco´s best man. And Lucius is paying for the wedding." Harry smiled happily. "It turned out his objections were all about not getting any grandchildren. Once we showed him our application for adoption he went all tame."

"Did you hear from the agency?" asked Hermione.

Harry beamed. "Can you keep a secret? We want to announce it at the reception. We´re going to have a son and daughter tomorrow! Aeolus and Aphrodite are muggleborn twins, three months old. Their parents died in a car crash."

Ron looked doubtful. "Are you sure Lucius Malfoy is going to put up with muggleborn grandchildren?"

Hermione slapped him on his arms. "I told you to stop it!"

"It´s okay, Hermione," Harry reassured her. "We talked about that a lot. But they will be Malfoys by adoption; that makes them purebloods in the eyes of the ministry. And their Mummy is going to be the Saviour of the Wizarding World, that won´t hurt either."

Ron jerked at the word ´Mummy´, but said nothing.

"Ready, Harry?" asked Hermione.

"Ready!"

Beaming happily, Harry went out to the lawn, where his future was waiting for him; a future with his one true love, Draco Malfoy.

The End.


End file.
